What Once Was Mine
by ILuvSnuffles805
Summary: When a series of misunderstandings and troll meddling leads to the potential doom of their relationship, Anna and Kristoff (with the help of Olaf and Sven!) must set off on an adventure deep into the mountains to set things right and recover the love they had lost. Post-Frozen, Anna/Kristoff
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own "Frozen", or any of its associated locations and characters._

_This story takes place about 2 years after the events of "Frozen"._

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The hot yellow sun hung high in the sky, making the crystal-blue water below glisten and shimmer in its light. There was not a cloud in the sky, its bright blue hue almost perfectly mirroring the ocean below. It was nearly noon in Arendelle, and a small procession of finely-dressed individuals was making its way through the castle gates and into the square below.

Anna sighed almost dreamily as she looked out over the sparkling waters of the fjord. "Could it be any more gorgeous? Today is _perfect_."

Beside her, the girl's elder sister smiled softly in reply, giving a small wave to a few of the townspeople as she passed. "It's beautiful." Elsa agreed.

"Too bad we can't actually _enjoy_ it." Anna rolled her eyes, looking down at the large, puffy dress that held her delicate frame. She'd give anything to be in one of her light summer skirts, ready to run down through the fields to pick flowers with Olaf, or hike up into the beautiful green mountains with Kristoff and Sven, or do _anything_ fun, for that matter. But, alas, Anna was the princess of Arendelle, the current heir to the throne… and duty called.

Normally she did not mind attending to political matters or meeting with dignitaries from other kingdoms. In fact, after all those years cut-off from the world, it was actually _exciting_ to meet so many interesting people from lands far away. But on a day like today, with the bright sun, clear skies, and fresh mountain breeze enticing her so, it was almost torturous to have to pull herself away from it all. _Being responsible stinks_. She decided.

Although she did not voice this thought aloud, Anna's sister could read it perfectly on the young woman's face. "The Duke and Duchess will only be here one night." Elsa tried to reassure her sister. "You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful weather tomorrow. Don't worry."

"I guess, but –" Before she could finish her reply, Anna was cut-off by a deep voice calling from the docks ahead of them. "Anna!"

The young girl's mouth stretched into a smile, and she felt her heart flutter a bit at the sight of the tall, muscular figure in the distance. Anna waved eagerly at her boyfriend as he stepped off the small wooden boat, and raced ahead of her sister and their guards to greet him.

_Just in time…_ "Hey there, stranger." She said with a smirk, giving Kristoff a quick peck on the cheek. It had been nearly a week since they'd spent any time together, though to Anna, it felt like a lifetime. He had been busier than usual the past several days, making ice deliveries to some of the smaller villages up in the mountains, or, as was the case today, on the other side of the fjord.

The Midsummer festival was fast approaching, and there were parties and celebrations big and small planned all across the kingdom. Citizens of Arendelle were eager to find ways to keep their food fresh in preparation for their festivities. Thanks to Elsa's unique powers, Arendelle now had a near-constant supply of ice year-round, making the people very happy and Kristoff's business extremely successful. So successful, in fact, that word had begun to spread to other kingdoms about this rare commodity – plentiful ice on even the hottest days of summer, with a unique property that prevented it from melting almost indefinitely.

It was an idea that intrigued many of Arendelle's trading partners – including Duke Eirik and Duchess Alina Baglien of Raledith. They would be visiting Arendelle that very day to discuss, among other things, expanding their trade agreement to include this special ice, and the potential of using it to more easily transport perishable goods to Raledith's other trading partners across the land. Their ship was due to arrive at any minute, and Elsa and Anna had come down to the docks to greet their guests personally.

Kristoff smiled crookedly at Anna's greeting. "Hey." He replied, looking down at her. The young woman's pale green dress hugged her figure perfectly, contrasting nicely with the red in her hair, which was loosely plaited into an elegant up-do. She was stunning – well, Anna was always stunning in his eyes. But even more so than usual. "Wow." Kristoff muttered, taking in the view. "You look… wow." He cleared his throat, feeling a warmth rise in his cheeks. "Uh… I mean, that's a nice dress."

Anna did not miss a moment of his reaction. She giggled softly. "Thanks. It's new."

"What's the occasion?" He asked. Kristoff looked over her shoulder, and noticed Elsa and the guards for the first time. _What are they doing down here?_ He wondered.

Anna raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't remember." It wasn't a question. She shook her head, sighing, then reached up and gently grasped his shoulders. She turned him around and pointed at the enormous wooden ship that was steadily approaching the dock.

Kristoff groaned at his own foolishness. "Oh no… That was today?"

"Yup."

"And I am so not prepared for this."

"Doesn't sound like it."

It was difficult to tell whether Anna was annoyed or amused. In truth, she was a little bit of both.

Mentally kicking himself, Kristoff backed away from the docking area as the enormous ship pulled into the empty spot and prepared to drop anchor. Anna followed suit, stepping in line beside her sister. Kristoff stood a few steps behind them, shuffling uncomfortably. How could he have been so careless? He had been told about the Duke and Duchess' visit weeks before. As Arendelle's Ice Master, he was expected to meet with them as well to answer any questions and provide input about the proposed ice-trade agreement.

Kristoff was overcome with dread at the mere thought of this meeting. He had spent the past two years trying to avoid dealings with royals and dignitaries at all costs, but, inevitably, he always found himself in this sort of position. It was agonizing, torturous. He never knew how to act or what to say, and felt as though his every move was being criticized. Kristoff supposed it was just something that came with being romantically linked to a princess, and he would have to get used to it.

But there were days when it took its toll, and he wondered whether it was all worth it. Then he'd simply take one look at Anna and remember that yes, it was.

Still, he had a feeling that today would be one of "those" days. He could tell from the moment Duchess Alina took her first step off of the boat.

"Just look at this place…" Alina's green eyes scanned the distant square, sizing-up the cluster of shops filling the marketplace. "This is really it? The great Arendelle they're always _raving _about?" The tall, dark-haired woman scoffed under her breath, shielding her eyes from the sun's warm glow.

Duke Eirik shuffled along behind his wife, her polar opposite. Short, stout, and blonde, he stroked his rather impressive moustache thoughtfully. "I don't know, dear. They do have some lovely views… There's a certain charm about this place, I'd say."

Alina shrugged, unsmiling. "I suppose it's rather… quaint_._ In a way."

Elsa and Anna exchanged a glance. "They _do _realize we're standing right here, don't they?" Anna whispered. Elsa shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Um… Hello?" Anna gave a little wave at the couple as they approached.

"Ah, a welcoming committee!" The Duchess laughed brightly, her demeanor suddenly changing. "Princess Anna, I presume? What a pleasure, dear." The woman extended her hand, clutching Anna's briefly as the young girl gave a small curtsey.

"And Queen Elsa. You're even more stunning than they say." Alina gave a low curtsey to Elsa as she spoke, though there was something oddly critical in the way she looked at her.

The Duke bustled forward and offered similar greetings, though his certainly felt a bit more warm and sincere.

The Duchess snapped her fingers above her head. Almost instantly, a servant appeared at her side, a sizeable trunk and two small traveling bags balanced precariously in his arms. Alina pointed toward Kristoff, nodding at the servant as she did so.

"Um… I, uh…" Kristoff sputtered. Before he could say any more, the servant had unloaded the luggage into the young man's arms and scurried back onto the ship. "Oof!" Kristoff's legs buckled for a moment, as he had not been anticipating the immense weight.

Alina glanced doubtfully at the man for a moment, then gave the queen a small nod. "I trust your servant is capable of bringing our things back to the castle?"

It took a moment for everything to click in Anna's head. Suddenly, her brow furrowed in anger. She took a step toward the Duchess as she spoke. "Excuse me." The girl said icily. "But he's no servant. Kristoff is my –"

"Ice Master." Kristoff cut her off abruptly, placing the luggage on the ground a bit less gently than he'd intended. "_Arendelle's_ Ice Master. Kristoff Bjorgman." He tried to sound friendly, extending a hand toward the woman in greeting.

Alina raised one dark eyebrow in response as she stared at the large, outstretched hand. She did not take it.

Kristoff glanced down, and noticed the faint layer of dirt that covered his palm. "Sorry." He hastily wiped it on his trousers. "Just got back from a delivery." His words came out faster and faster with each one he spoke. "No rest for the weary, right? … Heh." Kristoff gave the woman a sheepish grin, extending his slightly-cleaner hand anew.

The woman's stare remained icy, but she held out one hand and brushed it briefly against Kristoff's before pulling it away again, as though she feared he may give her some sort of disease. She said nothing.

The Duke, on the other hand, offered a hearty handshake. "What a pleasure, what a pleasure!" Eirik glanced sideways at his wife, winking. "What did I tell you? Charming. _Quaint_." He beamed at her.

Elsa's blue eyes bounced back and forth between Kristoff, whose cheeks were growing redder as his forced smile slipped closer and closer to a scowl, The Duke, who was now examining the docking area with child-like interest, The Duchess, who wore an expression as though she had just smelled something horrible, and Anna, who looked dangerously close to hurting someone. "Ahem." The queen cleared her throat softly. "Now that we're all acquainted, let's head back to the castle, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, that would be lovely." Duchess Alina's smile was strained, but she simply summoned her servant once more for her luggage, gestured for her husband to follow, and followed the queen's lead back toward the castle.

Anna walked well behind them beside Kristoff, scowling. "Unbelievable! What a – a –"

"I know. But Anna, you've gotta relax." Kristoff placed a warm hand on her shoulder, trying to sound cheerful. "It's fine… I'm kind of used to that sort of thing by now." He muttered, half to himself. True, no one had ever been quite so overt, but Kristoff was no stranger to raised eyebrows or skeptical stares from Arendelle's noble visitors when they saw the likes of him roaming around the castle, being introduced as someone of importance, or included in royal functions.

"Used to it? What do you mean?" Anna asked, puzzled.

Kristoff shook his head. "Never mind. Just don't worry about me, okay?" He cocked his head toward the woman walking ahead of them. "Worry about making a good impression with Miss Sunshine over there so we can seal this deal and get her on the next boat out of here."

The princess tried to stifle a laugh. "Sounds good to me." Anna did not speak for a few moments, then bit her lip, glancing sideways at her boyfriend. "I should probably be walking up there with my sister…"

"It's fine." Kristoff gave her a smile. "I'll hang back here." He watched as Anna gave a tiny nod, then hurried away to join Elsa toward the head of the procession. It was not until she was out of sight that he allowed his smile to falter. _Well this is going great, isn't it?_ Kristoff thought miserably. And he had an awful feeling it was just going to get worse.

Of course, he was right.

It was like he was invisible. Kristoff sat with Anna, Elsa, Duke Eirik, and Duchess Alina at the long dining table as they were served lunch, but he may as well have been in another room altogether. Even Anna ignored him, though he couldn't say he blamed her. Despite the icy first impression, the Duke and Duchess seemed to become increasingly charming and interesting as the meal wore on, while Kristoff simply became increasingly awkward and uncomfortable.

Eirik told thrilling tales of his days in the Raledithian military while his wife described in detail the beautiful landscape of their kingdom, nestled deep in the forest in the far south. Anna and Elsa handled the conversation with ease, asking questions, offering opinions, and responding to everything with polite interest. Kristoff, meanwhile, spent half of the meal struggling to determine which fork to use and where to put his napkin. This was exactly why he hated eating at the castle and instead relished in the nights when Anna would visit his small cabin on the outskirts of the main village, where he would cook her whatever she wanted, and they would eat with one fork, one spoon, and a napkin you could put wherever you pleased.

After dessert, it was time to get down to business… for everyone but Kristoff, it seemed. Duchess Alina had many questions about Arendelle's ice business, of course. But not one of them was directed at him.

"So, your highness, I understand you've been using your unique… _gift_ to increase ice production. Very clever, I must say." Alina's lip curled into a smile. "But surely that isn't your only source, particularly in the colder months. Are there many lakes in the mountains? Rivers?"

Elsa smiled, and nodded toward Kristoff. "There are plenty of bodies of fresh water in Arendelle. In the winter, the ice is quite plentiful. Kristoff, how many sources would you say we harvest from?"

"Oh, I'm not sure…" He replied uncertainly. "Must be close to a dozen, if you count some of the smaller –"

"Fascinating!" The Duchess did not even look at him once. "Certainly with such a booming business, there must be a great deal of men in your employ?"

"I'm certain of it, though I'm afraid I don't dabble too much in that side of things. Kristoff?" Elsa looked to him yet again.

The young man shrugged, feeling a bit nervous and still somewhat taken aback by being cut off before. "Twenty? Maybe thirty. In the busier months, we usually –"

It was the Duke who cut-in this time. "It's amazing that you've been doing so well, even in the summer! I believe your delivery man –"

"Ice Master." Anna and Elsa corrected in unison, their annoyance poorly masked. Kristoff said nothing.

"Ahem, of course… _Ice Master_ had just completed a shipment before we arrived. I trust there many this time of year?"

This time, Elsa did not reply, but simply nodded at Kristoff. Anna gave him a small smile of encouragement.

_Here goes…_ "Uh, well I'd be happy to answer that, if you have the time to listen." There was a slight edge to Kristoff's voice, but he tried to shake it off. As he continued speaking, his frustration was slowly replaced with nervousness. "We have this… well it's sort of a festival. To celebrate the solstice. I'm not sure if you have that in Raledith, but, uh… It's next week and people need ice. For their food. Obviously." He saw the Duchess' lips begin to curl into a smirk. A slight warmth rose in his cheeks. "So we've been getting lots of orders. From everywhere. Well, not _everywhere._ But from lots of the smaller villages. So Sven and I – Sven, he's my reindeer – we've been making lots of trips into the mountains. Usually just a few blocks, small orders, you know? Sven likes to complain that it's a waste of time… Well, okay maybe he doesn't 'complain', but I can just kind of tell when he's annoyed, you know? Heh, it's funny. Sometimes it's like I can tell exactly what he would say, if he could. And I sort of talk for him, I guess. People think it's a little crazy, but I really…"

Anna caught his eye and gave the tiniest shake of her head. Kristoff turned to face Duke Eirik and Duchess Alina, who were staring at him, eyebrows raised. With a sigh, Kristoff sunk lower into his seat. "Yeah. It's really busy right now." He finished lamely, wishing in that moment that someone would just kill him, right then and there. _This is humiliating…_

"Thank you." Elsa said warmly, trying to turn the attention away from the embarrassed young man. "Kristoff is very passionate about his job, and about our kingdom's ice business. It's been really wonderful working with him. If you'd like, we can walk the grounds a bit and I can show you how we're able to prevent the ice from melting." She rose, and the others followed suit.

"That would be _lovely_." Alina practically bounced out of her seat, beckoning her husband with a flick of the finger. They followed Elsa as they headed through the large double doors and back toward the main hall.

Kristoff remained standing beside the table, staring at his feet. Anna lingered in the doorway. "Are you coming?" She asked.

"I don't think I'm really needed here right now. I've done enough damage." He replied, shaking his head. "Besides, I think it's about time I figure out where Olaf took Sven off to while I was gone." Kristoff tried to smile, but Anna could see right through it.

"Are you okay?" The young woman crossed the room to touch his cheek gently. "I know you hate this kind of thing."

A large, warm hand came to rest on top of hers. "I'll be fine. You should probably head out there. They'll wonder where you are."

A small sigh escaped Anna's lips. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"I know. But it could have been worse, I guess."

"It could always be worse." Anna agreed, smiling crookedly. "Will I see you tonight?"

"Maybe. We'll see."

Her face fell slightly, but she did not argue. "Okay… Thanks for putting up with all this." She paused. "I love you."

He smiled. "You too."

Anna peeked around the room to make sure they were alone, then stood on her tiptoes, kissing him softly for a moment. She pulled away reluctantly, gave him a tiny smile, and then she was gone.

Once he was alone, Kristoff let out the sigh he had been holding in and sat back at the table, holding his face in his hands. _What is wrong with me? _He had made a total fool of himself, as usual. How much more of this could he take? Kristoff stared out the window at the warm summer sun, one thought filling his mind –

Was it really worth it?

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_A/N: This is just the beginning! I hope you liked it and I hope it wasn't awful! This story will definitely have its humorous moments, but it's a bit on the more serious-side, so it can be tricky to write the characters properly sometimes (since they are usually more comical in the film), but I'm trying my best! Please favorite this story so you can follow it as it continues! And if you get a chance, please review! I just please ask for no flames. It's okay to not like my story, but constructive comments are always preferred :) Thank you for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Wow, thank you so much for the reviews and favorites/follows! I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you're enjoying my story's humble beginnings :)_

_One little note before our next chapter – When writing the summary, I didn't want to give away spoilers for some of the twists my story will take, so be warned that the "adventure" part of the story won't be coming until the 5__th__ chapter or so… There are a few things that have to happen to set all of that up! This will probably be 15-20 chapters long when all is said and done (give or take a couple… Beyond chapter 7 or so, it's not as concretely mapped out, so things may require more or less chapters to cover, depending on how things go!). _

_Enjoy this next chapter! Things are pretty serious in this one, so once again, it was tricky to write some of the character reactions. But your compliments about my characterization gives me hope, so thanks! :D (Also, don't expect the next chapter quite as quickly as you got this one :P But I'm gonna try to do one every couple of days, at least)._

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"I'll be back soon, okay?" Kristoff patted Sven's nose lovingly as he spoke, closing the half-door of the stable behind him. It was another beautiful day in Arendelle, and Kristoff felt slightly guilty about leaving his best friend behind once again. But he was feeling conflicted, terrified, and nervous, and he wanted to be alone, at least for a little while. _Time to get this over with…_

The reindeer cocked his head to the side, and Kristoff knew exactly what he was thinking. "Is everything okay?"

Kristoff shook his head, his voice returning to normal. "Don't worry about me, buddy. Just nervous, I guess. I'll be fine."

He lifted a hand in farewell, then took off down the hill toward the main village and the castle beyond. The young man kept his head hung low as he walked, a thousand thoughts seeming to spiral around in his head at once. _What if she hates me?_ _What will she say?_ _Is this all a mistake? Am I doing the right thing? _The imaginary answers seemed to change every second, until his mind felt as though it had entered an all-out war with himself. This argument continued back and forth in Kristoff's head until he rather abruptly found himself standing at the castle gates. He nodded to one of the guards in greeting, distracted, but trying his best to be friendly.

"Good day, Mr. Bjorgman." The guard returned his nod of greeting. "I'm afraid the princess is out at the moment."

_Of course she is._ Kristoff had been expecting this. The primroses in the valley had finally begun to bloom, much to Olaf's delight, and he had whisked Anna away with him to do some overdue flower-picking. This did not concern him, however, as she was not that one he wished to see.

He smiled politely. "I understand, thank you. But I've actually come to speak with the queen."

"Ah, yes. Well I believe her highness is out reading in the back gardens." The guard gestured with a gloved hand to the expanse of green grass and tall trees on the west side of the castle.

"Thanks." Kristoff gave a small wave, then headed off in the direction the man had indicated.

He crossed through the cobblestoned courtyard and underneath the exquisitely carved stone archway to the path that led to the castle's extensive gardens. It was not long before he found Elsa sitting on a small wooden bench in the shade of an enormous tree, a thick leather-bound book in her hands. A few feet away, a trio of gardeners were trimming the branches of an over-grown berry bush. The ground was littered with the deep green cuttings and the air was tinged with the earthy scent of the freshly-cut foliage. It was quite pleasant, and Kristoff took a moment to enjoy a breath of this refreshing air before finally clearing his throat softly, letting himself be known.

"Kristoff." Elsa smiled brightly, setting the book on the bench beside her and rising from her seat. "This is a pleasant surprise." She said warmly.

"Queen Elsa." Kristoff gave a tiny bow of greeting, returning her smile.

The woman raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the formality. Kristoff never referred to her by her title unless they were in the presence of other nobility. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I was hoping to speak with you." He explained. "Alone." His eyes darted for a moment toward the gardeners, still hard at work trying to tame the overgrown branches.

Elsa tried to mask her surprise with a smile, and beckoned him with a small pale hand. "Of course, follow me."

She led him into the castle through a set of large double-doors to a small sitting room he had never been in before. Inside were a few bookshelves, a fireplace, a large bay window overlooking the gardens, and four plush, beautifully upholstered chairs. Elsa sat gracefully in one of them, and gestured for Kristoff to do the same. He plopped down rather unceremoniously into the chair across from hers, twiddling his thumbs as he did so.

"So…" Kristoff scratched the back of his neck nervously as he spoke. "Have you heard from the Duke and Duchess yet? Did they accept the offer?"

"Nothing yet." Elsa shrugged, unconcerned. "Nothing was confirmed when they left Arendelle. That was three days ago, so I expect they've made it home by now. I'm sure we'll receive a courier any day now with an official response."

"Right." The young man across from her replied quite unenthusiastically.

The queen shook her head, letting out a small sigh. "Something tells me you aren't here to discuss business."

"You got me." Kristoff smiled slightly, but it quickly faded. "I'm, uh, actually here…" He paused, taking a deep breath. _Here goes…_ "To talk to you about me and Anna."

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"See you later, Anna!" Olaf called happily, waving one of his tiny stick arms at his friend as she approached the castle gates. The other arm was clutched to his chest, cradling an enormous bouquet of delicate flowers. "Thanks for coming with me. I'm gonna go bring some to Kristoff and Sven."

Anna smiled warmly, amazed at how much joy their morning of flower-picking had brought the little snowman. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. They'll love them."

"I hope so… as long as Sven doesn't try to eat them again." Olaf grumbled, partly to himself. He gave a second wave before turning on his heel and heading off down the main road, humming to himself as he went.

The young woman giggled as she watched him go, shaking her head in amusement. Then with a cheery smile to the gate guard, she picked up her own small basket of flowers and headed across the courtyard to find her sister. Anna knew Elsa's routine perfectly by now – on days like today, when there were no scheduled meetings and she did not hold court, Elsa liked to spend her afternoons reading on one of the garden benches. When Anna arrived at her sister's usual spot, however, the queen was nowhere to be found. _Hmm…_

"Are you looking for your sister, Princess Anna?" One of the gardeners asked, noticing the perplexed look on the girl's face. He set down his watering can and gestured toward the castle. "She and Mr. Bjorgman are in the west drawing room, I believe. They went inside just before you arrived."

"Kristoff's here?" Anna smiled happily. That was certainly a nice surprise. _I wonder what he's doing here._ "Thank you, Thorry." She gave a small, grateful bow to the servant before rushing off into the castle, eager to find what Elsa and Kristoff were up to.

She found the door to the west drawing room slightly ajar, and she could hear her sister's voice carry into the hallway.

"Something tells me you aren't here to discuss business."

"You got me." Kristoff's voice now joined Elsa's.

Anna reached the doorway, and lifted her hand to knock.

"I'm, uh, actually here… to talk to you about me and Anna."

Anna's hand froze. _Huh?_ She lowered it to her side and crept closer, gently placing the flower basket at her feet. It felt as though her heart had stopped beating. _This can't be good…_

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Elsa did not speak for a few moments. "You and Anna?" She said finally, her eyes widening slightly. This was certainly not what she had been expecting. "Kristoff, I'm not sure…"

"Please, just… hear me out, okay?"

The queen nodded, still taken aback. "Well… go ahead, I suppose."

Kristoff stared at the ground as he spoke. "I just… I keep feeling like I can't do this anymore. She and I… we're just too different. Look at Anna – she's beautiful, charming, a little clumsy, maybe, but graceful and poised when she wants to be. And I'm well…" He glanced down at his muddy boots and wrinkled trousers, shaking his head. "I'm the ice guy. The ice guy who was raised by trolls and whose best friend is a reindeer." A small, cheerless laugh punctuated the thought. "It's almost funny, isn't it? To think that the two of us could be together…

"You and Anna have lived your whole lives in this palace," He absent-mindedly stroked the plush leather arm of the chair as he spoke. "It's beautiful. Perfect. But I don't belong here. Just look at what happened with the Duke and Duchess – it was so humiliating. And we both know that wasn't the first time something like that's happened. They knew I didn't belong – everyone does." Kristoff's cheeks began to redden, and his speech came faster and faster as he continued. "I feel so awkward and embarrassed all the time, and I think Anna does too. I know she'd never say it, but I see the way she looks at me sometimes, when I say something stupid, or start talking about Sven, or eat with the wrong fork, or…" He paused, shaking his head.

Elsa just stared, listening politely as he spoke. She wanted to interject, but something told her he wasn't quite done yet. And she was right.

"You two have been so good to me, but I know I just don't fit in in this life. It never made any sense for Anna and I to be together, and it's getting harder and harder every day. I feel like it would be so much easier if we just…" The thought hung in the air for a moment, unfinished. Kristoff took a deep breath. "Anna deserves someone who belongs in her world, who can give her more than I ever could. I just wonder if it's really worth it for either of us to keep going on this way."

He finally lifted his head and met the queen's gaze. Neither said a word.

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"…I wonder if it's really worth it for either of us to keep going on this way." Kristoff's voice was so soft, Anna almost had to strain to hear it.

Then there was nothing but silence.

Anna backed away from the door, a hot stinging sensation in the corner of her eyes. Before, it had felt as though her heart stopped beating. Now, it felt as though it had dropped out of her chest entirely. _No, no, no, no… This can't be happening._ How could he feel that way? Why hadn't he told her any of this before? _And now he's just… giving up?_

She'd always assumed that she and Kristoff would be together forever. Anna loved him, after all. And didn't he love her too? Her hand lingered, reaching for the doorknob, ready to burst through the door and… Do what? Try to convince him that it didn't matter? That he had no choice but to stay in this life he hated, just for her? She could never be so selfish. Her hand fell limply to her side.

_If this is what he really wants, then…_ She felt her entire body begin to shake. Overcome, Anna hurried off to her room, finally allowing her tears to fall. The basket of flowers remained lying in the hall, forgotten.

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Elsa didn't know what to say. Why was he telling her this? She waited a few more moments before finally clearing her throat. "Kristoff, I… I feel like maybe this is a conversation you should be having with Anna…"

"Please," Kristoff said seriously. "Let me explain. Like I said, it's really hard, sometimes even miserable, being forced into this kind of life. And I do wonder if it's all worth it… and I want you to know that_ it is._" His voice grew louder, more confident, as he spoke. "It's worth every minute. Maybe I don't fit in. Maybe I'll always be awful at social situations. Maybe I can't give your sister everything she deserves. But the one thing I know is that I love her more than I think anyone else ever could, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that to her. I _want_ to belong here. I _want_ to be what's best for her. I don't want to feel awkward or ashamed anymore, and I don't want her to either… But I don't think that can happen if things stay the way they are.

"So, Queen Elsa, I'm here to tell you that I'm willing to change." His voice was almost pleading as he spoke. "I'll start wearing nicer clothes, I'll take etiquette lessons, I'll give up my ice business, I'll…" He hesitated for a moment. "I'll stop talking to Sven so much. Maybe altogether. Distance myself from my family, if I have to. I don't think I could ever leave them behind completely, but I know they'll understand. I just… need to be more normal." Kristoff suddenly found that he was on his feet. When had he gotten out of his seat?

"I know I'm all wrong for her, but there's something about Anna and I that feels so _right_. I can think of a dozen reasons for you to refuse what I'm about to ask you – I probably just listed most of them – but please, I'm here to beg for your faith that I can change… and for your permission to marry your sister."

Elsa stared up at Kristoff, wide-eyed, trying to take it all in. That was certainly not where she had expected that conversation to go. Finally, after quite some time, she found her voice.

"I see." She said carefully. "Isn't it customary to wait until _after _you've made your proposal to ask for a blessing?"

"It is." Kristoff agreed. "But I'll be honest – working up the courage to come speak to you was hard enough. I have no idea what Anna will say. She may laugh in my face or refuse me on the spot. But if by some miracle she _did _accept, and then you denied us your blessing… I don't think I'd be able to handle that." He shrugged, laughing nervously and dropping back into his seat. "Guess I didn't wanna get my hopes up."

The queen smiled gently. "Well, Kristoff, I'll ask you this – Why should you have to change who you are for anyone, let alone my sister? Who would you be trying to impress? Me? The townspeople? Visiting strangers you may only meet once in your lifetime?" Elsa shook her head. "I learned for myself a long time ago that you should never try to change who you are. For anyone. It's served me well so far, and I'm sure it will do the same for you. You're worrying far too much about what others think of you.

"And as for Anna… She loves you _because_ of who you are. She'd never want you to change. I can't speak for her, and I don't know what she'll say. But you have my full support – and my blessing."

Kristoff let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Really? Wow… that was so much easier than I thought it'd be." He said with a relieved chuckle. He had been waiting for this moment for months, and the incident with the visitors from Raledith made it clear that he was truly ready – Ready to put it all on the line and prove to Anna that he was in this for the long haul. Perhaps it hadn't happened in the way he'd always planned, but hearing those words of approval from Elsa were almost as good as a "yes" from Anna… _almost._

Elsa stood, her smile widening. Kristoff did the same. "I don't care where you come from, or if you know the difference between your salad and soup spoon." She laughed softly. "I know you love my sister, and the two of you are very happy together. That's good enough for me."

"Thank you, thank you!" Kristoff bent down and pulled the beautiful blonde woman into a tight hug. "Oh, sorry…" He pulled away abruptly, realizing he'd nearly lifted her off her feet with the embrace.

Elsa stepped back, smoothing her skirt gently and shaking her head in amusement. "My pleasure." She said simply, heading for the door. "If you want to wait in the garden, I'll be sure to let Anna know you're waiting for her as soon as she arrives. She should be here any minute."

Kristoff followed his friend into the hall, his heart bursting with excitement. Everything was going perfectly, and though the uncertainty of his impending proposal loomed heavily before him, for the moment, he felt nothing but relief and joy. _Everything's going to be fine._ He could feel it.

Neither of them noticed that the door had been left ajar, or the tiny basket of now-wilting flowers that lay, forgotten, on the floor.

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_A/N: Gasp! Oh no! What's going to happen? Stay tuned… :P _

_-Ahem- Okay, I've just gotta say that I feel wayyyyy less confident about that chapter than I did about the first one. I feel like most of my strength as a writer is in descriptions and thoughts/actions. Dialogue, not so much. And that chapter was like 90% conversation. So yeah… Please be gentle in the reviews, and thank you gain for reading! Please stick with me, guys. We are gonna get to the main plot soon! Like I said, 2 or 3 more chapters (that feels like a lot, doesn't it?) and we will be there, and you'll finally "get" where I'm going with all this. _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you guys SO much as always for all the faves, follows, and, of course, reviews! I especially appreciate the advice and feedback from some of you (you know who you are!)._

_I find myself getting a little impatient while writing this chapter, because I REALLY want to get to the "meat" of this story… But we need the events of this chapter and one or two more before we get there. And I'm weird and don't like to write out of order, so I have to wait just like you guys do. Hahahahaha._

_This is a tricky chapter because I'm not 100% sure yet where to put the break between this chapter and the next. I'm trying to keep all the chapters around the same length (3,000-ish words), but this is a tough one because the way I was originally planning on having it go would make it much longer than my other chapters, and then the alternative I came up with made it about half the length of the others, so… we'll see how it goes (I'm writing this before I even start the chapter, that's why I don't know quite yet how it will go haha… as always, I'll have a second author's note after. I like author's notes, can you tell? :P)_

_Anyway, enjoy chapter three!_

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Anna took several deep breaths as she stared at herself in the enormous mirror, smoothing her hair, rubbing her eyes, and trying to mask the fact that she'd spent the last 20 minutes in tears. After overhearing Kristoff's conversation with her sister, she'd fled to her bedroom immediately, letting out her grief and trying to make sense of everything she'd heard.

_He doesn't want to be with me anymore._ She'd decided. _He's going to end it. _It was the only explanation that made sense. But why bring her sister into it? Maybe he was seeking advice on how to let her down easy. To soften the blow a bit. _Well, he won't have to_. Maybe he was right. Maybe it didn't make sense for them to be together. They'd grown up in two completely different worlds. They'd both spent their entire lives alone. _Maybe we're better off that way._

And maybe, if she kept telling herself that, she'd finally start to believe it.

_He's right_. _It's better this way. This is what he wants. _Anna repeated this mantra in her head over and over as she made her way down the winding staircase to the main hall, dreading the conversation she was about to have. _Just tell him what he wants to hear. You're doing this for him. He'll be better off. We both will._ It felt like she was in a daze, and the young girl was hardly aware of where she was going. Anna was so distracted, in fact, that as she reached the end of the stairway she quite literally bumped right into her sister. Anna let out a little cry as she bounced back, landing in a sitting position on the bottom step.

"Elsa!" Anna cried in surprise, pulling herself rather ungracefully to her feet. "Sorry. I was… kind of distracted, I guess." She muttered, playing with one of her braids.

"There you are, Anna!" Elsa sounded relieved. "How long have you been back? I was starting to worry about you."

"Oh…. A little while, I guess." Anna avoided her sister's gaze as she spoke, trying to sound casual. "I didn't see you around, and I was feeling kind of tired, so I decided to lay down for a bit." She tried to force a yawn for dramatic effect, failing miserably and attempting to mask it with a rather loud cough.

Her sister looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, raising and eyebrow. "Anna, is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah, I'm fine." She forced a cheery grin.

"Well, when you get a chance," Elsa began, her lip curling into a smile, "Kristoff is out in the garden. I think he wants to speak with you."

_Of course he does…_ "O-okay." Anna replied nervously. She hesitated for a moment, as though she were about to say something, then hurried away without another word.

Elsa watched her sister go, her brow furrowed in concern. _What could have gotten into her?_ She wondered as she began making her way up the wooden staircase. The queen was headed to the small office on one of the upper floors to a pen a few letters to some of Arendelle's trading partners. For the past few days, the castle had been inundated with requests from nearby kingdoms for an audience with the queen to discuss the potential of Arendelle's ice business. She wondered whether this sudden interest was fueled by news of the Duke and Duchess' visit. _Worried about competition?_ The thought was almost amusing. All that fuss for a little ice.

When she finally reached the office, Elsa went to the cabinet to fetch a few pieces of parchment, a quill, and a good bottle of ink. Perhaps other royals would have a servant write their letters for them, but for Elsa, it was practically a treat. She had loved writing ever since she was a young girl – maybe it was because of the many journals she had kept throughout the years. For so long, it was the only way she could express herself, and now even something as dull as a business letter brought her great joy.

As she crossed to the large mahogany desk that sat in the corner of the room, Elsa glanced out the window and saw, three stories below, two small figures standing in the shade of one of the garden's ash trees. She immediately recognized them as Kristoff and her sister. _This is it!_ She thought, excitedly. She placed her writing instruments on the desk, then hesitated, uncertain. Was it really right? To spy on her sister during such a private moment? Maybe not… but she simply could not help herself.

_Oh, I'm awful._ Elsa thought, half-ashamed at herself and half-amused. It was just the sort of thing Anna would do. _She's definitely rubbing off on me_. She positioned herself half-hidden behind one of the deep purple curtains as she watched the scene unfold below. It was impossible to tell what they were saying, of course, but their body language was unmistakable.

Kristoff was staring at the ground, wearing a similar expression to when he had first begun speaking with Elsa earlier. His lips were moving very fast as he spoke. Then, quite abruptly, he stopped and looked up at Anna, surprise on his face. Had she interrupted him? She must have, for it was Anna who was speaking this time, her demeanor difficult to read without knowing what she was saying. Her posture was strangely stiff and unnatural, and her lips were moving slowly and deliberately.

Kristoff appeared to ask her something, his brow furrowed in confusion. Anna nodded once, then a second time, perhaps in response to another question. She turned away from him then, crossing her arms in front of her, though not in anger, it seemed. What was it? Nerves? It appeared as though she was talking more to herself than another person, until she finally looked over her shoulder at Kristoff, her expression fearful, almost guilty.

He nodded slowly, his expression unreadable from such a distance. He appeared to be listening carefully as Anna continued, his face still blank and unchanging. Finally, it seemed that Anna had stopped speaking, and the two stood in silence for what felt like a long time. Kristoff hung his head low, his lips moving once more. Anna shrugged in reply, kicking at the dirt with her toe and not meeting his gaze as he continued speaking to her.

He took a step toward her then, and she backed away from him slowly, shaking her head as she did so. Anna muttered something to him, hesitated for the briefest instant, and then took off at almost a run back toward the castle. Kristoff stood motionless as he watched her run out of sight, and did nothing for several long moments. Finally, he stalked slowly toward the nearby tree, his shoulders slumped, and kicked it with all his might .The trunk shook, and a few leaves fell from its branches. Then, fists clenched at his side, Kristoff hurried away until he too was out of sight, and the garden was empty once more.

Elsa remained standing at the window, feeling as though she couldn't breathe._ Oh no…_ She shook her head in disbelief, finally backing away from the window, biting her lip as she did so. How could that have happened? She had been so certain Anna would accept… Perhaps she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did. _Poor Kristoff… I have to talk to Anna, find out what happened._ Maybe it wasn't what it seemed… Maybe she had it all wrong, maybe…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud thumping of footsteps in the hall. _Anna…_ How had she made it up the stairs so quickly? Elsa hurried to the door, reaching the hallway just in time to see her sister disappear around the corner. "Anna!" She called.

"Please… I need to be alone right now." Her sister's voice was muffled and thick with emotion as she slammed her bedroom door behind her.

Elsa heard the soft _click_ of the lock being turned, then silence.

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"Kristoff! There you are!" Olaf leapt to his feet as he waved at his approaching friend. He had been sitting in the stable with Sven, telling the reindeer all about his morning with Anna and showing him the flowers they had picked together.

Sven (who had nearly begun to doze off listening to Olaf drone on and on about the delicious flowers, but not letting him eat them) jumped as well, startled by the sudden reaction. When he saw who it was, however, he too reacted with excitement… until he noticed the look on his best friend's face. The reindeer cocked his head to the side, staring at Kristoff as he drew nearer.

The snowman, however, was not quite as observant. "I was just showing Sven the flowers Anna and I picked in the valley today. I brought some for you!" He held out the enormous bouquet in his arms, smiling proudly.

Kristoff did not even look at him. "Not now, Olaf. Go away." He walked right past him, entering the stall with Sven.

"Wow… um… okay, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you're not having the best day…" The tiny snowman followed him through the stable door. "But you know what would make you feel better?" Olaf's smile was quickly returning. "Flowers! Look, aren't they pretty? Anna picked the yellow ones, and I picked the –"

Kristoff's fists were clenched at his side as he took two large, stomping steps toward his friend. "Olaf, I'm serious. I don't care about your flowers and I don't want to hear about Anna right now. Go. Away."

His face full of hurt, Olaf opened his mouth, preparing a reply, but Sven caught his eye. The reindeer shook his head ever-so-slightly. Finally, he got the hint. "Sorry." Olaf said softly. "I'll… I'll come back later." He set the bouquet down against the stall door and shuffled away quickly, hurrying back toward the village in the bright afternoon light.

Kristoff threw himself on a pile of straw in the corner of the stall, staring up at the wooden ceiling. He said nothing to Sven, just took several long, slow breaths. His reindeer hesitated, watching Kristoff uncertainly for a few moments, before finally walking over toward him. Sven gave his friend a gentle nuzzle with his nose, looking at him curiously.

Kristoff was too shocked, too upset to speak for his friend. But, as always, he still knew exactly what Sven was trying to say. _So… she said no?_

A humorless laugh escaped his lips. "She didn't even let me get that far. Can you believe it?" He sat up as he spoke, his voice dripping with anger and frustration. "She told me she heard me talking to her sister… Said she heard the whole thing…." He shook his head, then took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"She told me she already knew what I was going to say, and that she'd save me the trouble… And then she said it was over. Just like that!" Kristoff changed the pitch of his voice then, making it high and breathy, mocking Anna unkindly. "'You're right, we're too different.' 'People can't change who they are.' 'It's not fair to either of us.' 'It's like you said, we can't go on like this.'"

To his shame, Kristoff felt a wetness beginning to form in his eyes as he continued, his voice now returning to its normal pitch. "How could I be so stupid? I should have known! Look at me, Sven. Why would she ever –" His voice broke, and he could not go on.

It had been years since the last time he'd shed real tears, but here they were, threatening to fall at any moment. Kristoff did not even try to hold them back. Sven closed his eyes, pressing his nose gently against the man's neck. Kristoff embraced him tightly, burying his face in the warm fur. It was hard to say how long they stayed like that – to Kristoff, it felt like a lifetime. But he didn't mind. It felt good to let it out, to find comfort in his dearest friend who understood him better than anyone else ever could.

Finally, he pulled away, patting Sven gently on the neck and standing slowly. Kristoff wiped his still-wet eyes as he got to his feet, suddenly embarrassed. The reindeer looked away politely as he did so.

"Hey, wanna get out of here?" Kristoff asked, trying to smile. "I think I need to get away for a while… clear my head, y'know?"

Sven's brow furrowed, and this time, Kristoff spoke for him. "Where are we going?"

"Where else?" Kristoff asked. "Home. It's been too long since I've seen my family anyway. I bet we can make it to the valley by nightfall if we leave now." He did not wait for a reply, grabbing Sven's saddle from its hook on the wall. He had to get away… anything to distract him from the pain. Kristoff had tried so hard to prepare himself for this, but nothing could have prepared him for the hurt this would cause him. _I'm such an idiot… _

As he was being saddled up, Sven looked sideways at his friend, the concern apparent on his face. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Kristoff hesitated, then spoke in a normal voice. "This time… I honestly don't know." He let out a soft sigh. "But if anyone can make me feel better, it'll be them… and you, of course." Sven nudged him affectionately with his nose, then followed his owner outside.

"Ready?" Kristoff asked, mounting the saddle and glancing over his shoulder as he spoke. He could just make out the top of the castle in the distance, warm and welcoming in the afternoon light. A sickening, twisting sensation filled his stomach at the sight, and he had to look away. "Let's get out of here. You know the way." Then, they were off.

As Sven carried him away into the hills toward the mountains beyond, Kristoff replayed his conversation with Anna again and again in his head. He thought of everything she'd said to him, and reminded himself that they were all thoughts he'd had himself thousands of times – thoughts, as Anna knew, he'd confessed to Elsa that very morning. And maybe he really _was_ right after all. _Maybe we really _aren't _meant for each other. Maybe we _are_ better off. Maybe it's better this way._

And maybe, if he kept telling himself that, he'd finally start to believe it.

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_A/N: Couple things about that chapter…_

_1. Hopefully people are okay with not knowing their break-up conversation word-for-word? I started writing it, but it just felt overly sappy and too much like some of the angsty-ness I've written so far, so I tried to make it a little different – We get a couple quotes from Kristoff later, so hopefully you guys are able to imagine how the conversation probably went. (By the way, I apologize for all the angst. I like writing angst a lot, so it always finds its way into my stories :P But I don't think it warranted an "angst" label for a category hahahaha.)_

_2. Writing Olaf and Sven is SO hard, and I'm now almost regretting having them become regular characters later one in this story :P But it's a challenge, and I suppose that's always good, so… we'll see how I do with it haha. _

_3. Yes, I purposely tried to mirror Anna's thought-process at the beginning of the chapter and Kristoff's thought-process at the end, so I intentionally used the same words. I don't even know if it really works that well, but I'm keeping it haha_

_4. Not very happy with the end of that chapter, but I really just wanted to end it hahahaha. I'm SO looking forward to the next chapter though. I'll try to write it (maybe finish it?) tomorrow, but I make no promises :P_

_5. This is the first chapter I've written so far where no one has read it ahead of time to give me an opinion on it, so if it's not quite up to the standard of chapters one and two, that would be why! I try to have someone listen (I like to read my writing out-loud, so I can hear mistakes or awkward wording) and give me feedback, but this time, everyone in my house was asleep when I finished writing and I was too impatient and wanted to post hahaha. _

_Okay, end of my novel-length author's note :P As always, reviews are appreciated! Thank you for reading! You guys seriously motivate me to keep going, and I'm super grateful!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: OMG I love you guys so much. I can't believe I have nearly 60 followers now! Thank you to everyone who has been following this story, and a special thanks as well to the people who take the time to review too :) Even something as simple as "Wow, I like this a lot!" or "Keep going!" is great motivation for me to continue this story!_

_Please just have faith and keep reading :D Enjoy this chapter!_

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The sky was already beginning to darken when Kristoff and Sven finally reached the Valley of the Living Rock. It was an overcast night, and a thick layer of clouds dulled the moonlight that spilled over the lush green grass and enormous trees that bordered the vale. Kristoff dismounted and made his way to the bottom of the hill on foot, his reindeer walking heavily beside him.

"Shhhh." The young man whispered gently, urging Sven to be a bit lighter on his feet. "It's still a little early for them… They might be asleep."

The trolls had always drawn their power from the moon, and did not normally rise until nightfall. When Kristoff had first left the valley to go live on his own, it was very difficult to adjust to a normal human lifestyle, as he'd been on a nocturnal sleep cycle for so long. Now, he had the opposite problem. It seemed like whenever Kristoff came to visit, he spent half of his time sleeping. But his family did not seem to mind – they were always so happy to see him, something for which he was extremely grateful.

When he reached the clearing at the bottom of the hill, Kristoff found it seemingly deserted, save the rocks and boulders of varying sizes that lay strewn around on the grass. Of course, he knew full well that the valley was _not _deserted, and that those were not mere rocks that lay on the ground around him. At first, it was hard to determine why the trolls had remained camouflaged at his approach._ Were_ they still sleeping? Or had they perhaps not realized it was him, and gone into hiding? Kristoff paused for a few moments, listening. The air was too quiet, too still – They had to be asleep.

The man hesitated, unsure whether it would be rude to wake them. But the sun had almost completely set – surely they would be waking soon anyway? Kristoff tiptoed carefully around the sleeping trolls until he came upon the familiar forms of Bulda and Cliff – his parents, in all the ways that mattered. It was them who had taken him in all those years ago, who had raised him and cared for him when no one else would.

"Psst." He knelt down carefully, gently nudging at one of the small boulders. "Mom? It's me. It's Kristoff." He gingerly rocked the boulder back and forth a second time, then waited.

After a few moments, the rock beside him began to stir, as did a few others nearby. Bulda uncurled herself, returning to her usual form with a small yawn. "Kristoff?" She muttered groggily, rubbing her eyes.

Before he could reply, Kristoff felt a sharp tugging at his shoulder, and looked down in surprise to find one of the younglings latched to his arm, grinning widely. "You're home! We missed you!" The tiny troll's shrill little voice carried over the rest of the valley, alerting the others to the young man's presence.

"My baby's back!" Bulda cooed happily, now fully awake and aware that she was not simply dreaming.

Before long, the others had risen as well, and Kristoff was showered with tight hugs and warm words of greeting. He could not help but smile. This was why he always loved coming home – Kristoff could feel his heart grow lighter as he was met with each new friendly smile and warm embrace. _I knew this was a good idea…_

"So, kiddo," Cliff reached up on his tiptoes, scratching Sven lovingly under the chin as he spoke. The reindeer wiggled his stump of a tail happily in response. "Flying solo tonight?"

"Huh?" Kristoff sat up, gently removing one of the young trolls he had been wrestling from his chest.

"No Anna?"

Kristoff felt his heart sink, and his fleeting moment of joy was gone.

Oona, one of the baby trolls who had tackled him, jumped to her feet, suddenly indignant. "She owes me a moss-toss rematch!" The little troll cried. "She promised! Don't tell me she chickened out on me!"

"No, no…" Kristoff shook his head, a sudden warmth rising from his neck onto his cheeks. "She's not here because, well… That's kind of the reason I came to visit in the first place. She, uh – "

"Have you two been fighting again?" Bulda suggested with a sigh.

"Looking for a little love advice?" Another offered.

"Finally gonna pop the question?" A third voice chimed in. "Because it's about time…"

The red-hot warmth had now reached his ears, and Kristoff was feeling smaller and smaller with each word they spoke. "That's not it!" He snapped, perhaps a bit more harshly than he'd intended. "Anna's not here because – because we're... well…" Why was it so hard to say it out loud? He took a deep breath, bracing himself. "She decided to break it off. We're not together anymore, okay?" The words almost seemed to echo in the silent night air. It felt as though someone else had spoken those horrible words, and hearing them out loud simply made the pain in his heart deepen.

Kristoff hung his head, fearing his earlier tears would return, when his ears were suddenly filled with a cacophony of shouting and screams.

"WHAT?!"

"How could she do this?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"She doesn't deserve you!

"She's crazy!"

"Maybe she didn't mean it?"

"Good riddance!"

"You've gotta go win her back!"

"No, he's better off without her!"

"I never liked her anyway!"

"Unbelievable! What a b-"

"STOP! Please! Don't." Kristoff's voice was pleading. _I should have known they'd react like this… _"Look, I appreciate the support, I really do. But I came here to try and _not _think about Anna for a while. I want to spend time with you guys. I don't want to be reminded about…" He shook his head slowly. "Can we just _not _talk about this right now? Please?"

There was a moment of silence. It was his mother who finally spoke.

"Of course, sweetie." Bulda tugged gently on his trouser leg, beckoning with her other hand. Kristoff knelt down until they were eye-to-eye. She reached out one rough, stony hand and placed it against his cheek. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so." He replied gently. "I just need to get my mind off things, y'know?"

The troll smiled softly at him. "I do know… And we can certainly help with that. Can't we?" She raised her voice slightly, glancing over her shoulder at the others.

The throng of trolls nodded enthusiastically in reply.

"Want to help with the laundry?"

"Sing me a song!"

"We can play moss-toss!"

"Grand Pabbie needs more toadstools!"

"You could help us make breakfast!"

Kristoff's lips curled into a smile, and he felt a bit of his previous joy begin to return. "Sounds good to me. Thanks guys." He muttered.

And the next thing he knew, the trolls were grabbing him roughly by the hands and pulling him away to help with their chores, join in their games, and, with any luck, forget the horrible pain in his heart.

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"Here you are, your majesty." The servant gave a small curtsey as she handed Elsa a shining silver serving tray. "Just as you asked for, I hope?"

"Perfect, Lina. Thank you." The queen smiled, inclining her head slightly. _Let's hope this works…_ Elsa took a deep breath, gave one last smile to the serving girl, and began her journey up the winding staircase, balancing the platter carefully in her hands as she did so.

It had been nearly six hours since Anna had retreated to her bedroom and, despite her sister's best efforts, she had not emerged since. She had missed both lunch and dinner, and it seemed that no amount of coaxing would convince her to leave. _This is getting ridiculous_. Elsa thought to herself as she reached the top of the stairs, her concern for her sister slowly being overtaken by her annoyance. _Why won't she just talk to me?_

Elsa was still not sure whether she could truly believe what she had seen in the garden that afternoon. Had Anna really turned down the proposal? Or did Kristoff have a change of heart? Decide to act on his fears and end it all? _It can't be…_

She thought back to how passionately Kristoff had spoken about his love for Anna. _It doesn't make sense. _Elsa shook her head as she made her way to the end of the hall. There was only one way to find out what had truly happened. When she reached the large set of double-doors, Elsa hesitated for a moment, planning her words carefully, then cleared her throat and lifted her free hand slowly. _Here goes…_

Three loud knocks echoed through the empty hall. "Anna?" Elsa called, leaning close to the locked door and listening carefully. Silence.

"Anna, please! You've been in there for hours." No reply, though Elsa was almost certain she could hear movement coming from the other side of the door.

"You skipped dinner. I know you must be starving." Nothing.

The woman sighed. "Please, just talk to me." Elsa paused. "I brought chocolate…"

A pause. More movement, a soft sniffle, and, finally, the soft click of a lock being unlatched. The heavy wooden doors swung open just a few inches, and a small white hand emerged, held open expectantly.

The queen shook her head, smiling in amusement. "No good. You're not getting this chocolate without letting me in first."

For a moment, she feared her plan hadn't worked. But then, very slowly, the door creaked almost completely open. "… Fine."

_Aha! I knew it would work._ Elsa thought with a smirk as she walked through the dimly lit doorway into the room beyond. She heard Anna pull the door shut behind them, then close the lock once more.

Elsa's smile vanished when she saw her sister's face. Anna looked, well… _terrible_. Her eyes were watery and swollen, her face red and blotchy. The mane of strawberry blonde hair atop her head had fallen from its usual braids into a wild mass that went in all directions. "Oh, Anna…" Elsa placed the tray of brownies on her sister's bed and reached for her, trying to pull her into a comforting embrace.

Anna ignored her sister completely, practically diving for the serving tray, stuffing two of the chocolaty goodies into her mouth at once. "Mmm… Thanks." She muttered between bites. "I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"Don't mention it." Elsa replied uncertainly, trying to wait patiently for her sister to finish eating.

Three brownies later, Anna sat on the edge of the bed, brushing away a few crumbs from her wrinkled skirt and saying nothing. The girl stared down at her feet, kicking them back and forth idly.

Her sister pushed aside the remaining brownies and sat on the bed beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Anna, please… What happened?"

Anna shrugged Elsa's hand away, crossing her arms in front of her. "As if you don't know." She replied bitterly. When her sister did not reply, she continued. "I heard you and Kristoff talking this morning." Her voice was very soft as she spoke.

The queen's eyes widened. That certainly was not what she'd expected to hear. "You did?"

Anna nodded.

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything." Anna replied, not knowing that she had, in fact, missed the most important part of the conversation.

"I see…" Elsa bit her lip. "So… I'm guessing you said no."

The younger girl's brow furrowed in confusion. "Said no to what?" She asked. "It's not like he gave me a choice!" There was a bitter edge to her voice as she spoke. "Or, at least, I don't think he would have, if I'd given him the chance…"

It was Elsa's turn to be confused._ What is she talking about?_ "Okay, you're losing me. What exactly did he say to you?"

Anna stood then, turning away from her sister as she spoke. "He started with the same speech he gave you…" She shook her head. "I couldn't bear to listen to it again. So I told him I knew what he was going to say, and that I'd save him the trouble. And then…" Her voice broke slightly. "I told him it was over." The poor girl burst into tears then, and was unable to go on.

Elsa was on her feet immediately, wrapping her arms around her sister. Anna buried her face in Elsa's shoulder, staining her dress with warm tears. The elder girl pat the other's shoulder comfortingly, trying to soothe her.

A few minutes later, when Anna had managed to calm herself, they sat together on the bed once more. Elsa handed her sister another brownie, which she accepted gratefully, and finally decided to speak. "Anna, I… I didn't realize you felt that way." She said finally.

To her surprise, Anna laughed in reply, though it was completely devoid of humor. "Of course I don't feel that way. You know that…" She paused, taking a bite of the brownie and shrugging slightly. "I just told him what he wanted to hear."

_Huh?_ "Anna, I… I don't think…"

"Why didn't he just _talk _to me?!" Anna leapt up from the bed, letting the brownie fall to the floor. Her voice was rising in anger with every word she spoke. "Why did he come to _you?_ What did you tell him?" She turned on her sister, suddenly accusing. "What did he want? Ideas on how to let me down easy? How could he just _give up_ like that? Why didn't you tell him he was _wrong_?"

"Anna, calm down…" Elsa began, her heart sinking as she slowly came to realize what had happened. "When you say you heard what Kristoff said to me… Are you sure you heard _everything_?"

Anna was bordering on hysterical when she replied. "Want me to recite it back to you? How we're both 'too different'? That 'we don't belong together?' Or that we 'never made sense'? How it would 'be so much easier' if we… if we…"

Elsa grabbed her sister by both shoulders, trying desperately to prevent a second meltdown. "No, no, listen to me, Anna! You've got it all wrong!"

Anna's voice was shaking, but her tears had not yet fallen. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Yes, Kristoff said all that…" Elsa shook her head as she spoke. "But you missed the rest of what he had to say. He told me it was all _worth it_. That _you're_ worth it. That none of it matters, because he loves you." She sighed. "Anna, don't you see? He wanted to _change_ for you."

Anna said nothing, trying to process everything her sister had just said. _Could it really be true? _"So… he wasn't going to break up with me?"

"_No._ Anna, he wants to be with you forever."

"Forever?" Anna repeated, thinking back on their conversation. What was it Elsa had said? _'So… I'm guessing you said no.'_ No to what? Unless… The girl's eyes widened. "Wait. Are you saying that he was going to… going to ask me to…?"

Elsa smiled, glad her sister had finally seen the light. "_Yes_."

Anna let out a loud squeal of delight, her heart suddenly fluttering with joy. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" She cried gleefully. How long had she been waiting for this? A lifetime, it seemed. "Kristoff wants to marry me! And I… I…" The smile vanished from her face as quickly as it had come. It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. "I… am the biggest idiot in the history of the world."

With a groan of exasperation, she threw herself back onto the bed, covering her face with a pillow and suddenly wishing she were dead.

"You need to go talk to him. He'll understand." Elsa said softly.

A muffled voice replied from beneath the plush feather pillow. "Or he hates me forever… Can't say I'd blame him."

Elsa let out a small chuckle, reaching out and lifting the pillow from her sister's face. She looked down at her with a gentle smile. "Only one way to find out."

Without another word, Anna lifted herself from the bed. Elsa was right. She had to find Kristoff and apologize, beg for his forgiveness. Not that she deserved it. Why couldn't she have just let him talk? How could she jump to conclusions like that? _If he still wants to marry me after this, it'll be a miracle._ "Thanks, Elsa." She muttered, ashamed at her own foolishness, as she headed for the door.

Elsa watched her go, amazed at how things had gotten so out of hand. _He'll forgive her_. She told herself, trying to remain unconcerned. _He has to..._ _Right? _She'd know soon enough…

With a soft sigh, the queen of Arendelle sat back on Anna's bed, helping herself to the remaining brownies and waiting patiently for her sister's return.

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_A/N: Hope you liked that one! It was fun to write, but also super tricky! I tried to throw some humor in there, but I'm not sure how successful I was :P_

_ Please review if you can :) The next chapter is going to be a "biggie" plot-wise… Yay! Haha Thanks for sticking with me, guys!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you again for all of the words of support! You guys are seriously amazing! :D So I decided to be speedy and give you the next chapter the day after the last one :D_

_I'm on Christmas vacation until January 2__nd__ (I'm a teacher, not a student. Not that you care what a random fanfic author does for a living, but I always feel the need to clarify haha) so hopefully I can crank out 3-4 chapters over that time, but we'll see!_

_Anyway, here it is – the first part of the "biggie" that I've been anxious to write since the beginning :P There will be some unanswered questions at the end of this chapter, but all will be revealed in the next one, and we will finally be into the true "plot" of the story. _

_I won't say any more… Just read and enjoy! _

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A soft, contented sigh escaped Kristoff's lips as he lay himself down upon the small mossy pile of earth at the edge of the valley. It felt so good to finally rest. Sven lay behind him, and the young man leaned back slowly, using the warm, shaggy fur of the reindeer's stomach as a pillow. The sky had begun to clear at last, and hundreds of tiny twinkling stars now shined down upon them.

It was well past midnight – nearly lunchtime for the trolls. But for Kristoff, it was time to sleep. He had snuck away from the bustling throng of little creatures a few minutes before, then searched the valley for a quiet spot to rest his head. He was exhausted. Kristoff had spent the last several hours running around here and there with the trolls as they did their best to take his mind off of his broken heart. Unfortunately, they had been far from successful.

It began when he helped his mother chop vegetables for their breakfast stew. Kristoff tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but it was like he was in a daze, his mind far, far away. All he could think of was the countless times he and Anna had prepared dinner together just like this – he going out of his way to impress Anna with his cooking skills, she trying desperately to keep up without burning the cabin down. He had almost laughed at the fond memories as they replayed themselves before his eyes – until he remembered that they would likely never spend another evening together like that again.

After their meal, Oona and the other younglings brought Kristoff to one of the valley's small hills for a round of moss-toss, a favorite childhood game of all trolls… and Kristoff. Players took turns transforming into stones and being tossed by the other players down the incline to the grass below. The goal was to get your opponent to land moss-side up, and points were awarded depending on just how much moss was visible when the stone came to a stop. As a human, Kristoff could not turn into a rock, of course. But he _could_ toss the other players – and he was very good at it. Normally, moss-toss was one of the highlights of his visits home. But that night, it failed to bring Kristoff any joy – only more pain.

It was like he had been transported back in time, remembering Anna's excitement and enthusiasm the first time he'd taught her how to play. Her giggles of joy when she made her first successful toss. Her cries of shock and worry when she accidentally threw Ruli past the treeline and into the stream beyond. Her sigh of relief when the sputtering little troll pulled himself from the freezing water and exclaimed "Let's do that again!" These sounds from the past seemed to echo in his mind, drowning out the cheers and squeals of delight from Oona and her playmates.

The rest of the night had been more of the same. When he accompanied Pabbie's apprentice to collect toadstools, he thought of Anna. When he helped Deerah wash her laundry in the nearby river, he thought of Anna. When he sat Ruli on his lap and let him pluck the strings of his lute, he thought of Anna. And now, as he lay on the cool ground and gazed up the stars, he thought of her yet again.

"Why can't I get her out of my head?" Kristoff groaned miserably, covering his eyes with his arm. He'd hoped that visiting his family would be just what he needed to distract himself from his heartache, but he found himself feeling worse than ever.

"I don't want to think about her." He muttered bitterly, rolling onto his side. "I never want to think about her ever again."

Sven lifted his head, glancing at his friend. "You don't mean that." Kristoff voiced the reindeer's thoughts aloud.

"I do." The man insisted, closing his eyes. "I hate feeling like this. I don't think I can take it anymore… I just wish I could forget this whole thing ever happened."

He lay in silence for a few moments, trying to clear his mind, to stop thinking about Anna. It was then that the pieces began to fall together, and he knew exactly what he had to do. Kristoff sat up suddenly, his face etched with a look of determination.

"I can fix this." He said simply, rising to his feet. He glanced down at Sven, smiling slightly. "Stay here, buddy. I need to find Grand Pabbie."

The reindeer watched him go, uncertain. Sven wasn't sure what was going on, but something told him it wasn't good. He considered going after his friend, but the grass was so soft, and his eyes were so heavy that his exhaustion easily won out. _I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid…_ He told himself groggily. And before he could give it another thought, Sven was fast asleep.

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"Come on, boy. We're getting close." Anna patted her horse's neck gently, urging him forward through the underbrush. She looked up at the sky, the sun's light shining down through the branches. It had to be past noon. She needed food, she needed rest, and, most importantly, she needed to find Kristoff.

After realizing her terrible mistake the night before, Anna had rushed off to Kristoff's house immediately, prepared to beg for forgiveness, but was dismayed to find his cabin completely deserted. The stable was empty as well, something that, at first, puzzled her. Where would they have gone so late at night? But of course, there was only one answer – home, to see Kristoff's family.

_He must really hate me._ She'd thought miserably. _He can't even stand being in the same kingdom as me… _But could she really blame him? After the horrible things she'd said to him? Dejected, she'd returned to the castle alone. She had to go after him, of course. But Anna knew she would never be able to find her way in the dark – she'd never even traveled to the valley on her own before. But she had to try…

The princess spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to get Kristoff out of her head. _He hates me, he hates me, he hates me…_ The thought repeated itself again and again until she could no longer take it anymore. Giving up on any hope of sleep, she rose before dawn, saddled up Hamlet, and began her journey into the distant hills just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Finding the Valley of the Living Rock was even more difficult than she'd thought. Anna had gotten lost not once, but twice, doubling back until she found herself back on what she hoped was the right trail. After several hours of wandering aimlessly, she had all but given up. _He probably doesn't want me to find him anyway_. She'd told herself sadly. _I should just go home…_

Anna was on the verge of turning Hamlet around and heading back to Arendelle when she'd noticed, several yards ahead of her, a familiar twisted tree stump beside a rocky mountain stream. It was unmistakable – she'd passed this very spot countless times before when she had journeyed to the valley with Kristoff. _Just a few more miles…_ After coming so far, why turn back now?

After what felt like an eternity, the ground below her horses' hooves began to slope downward and the trees began to clear. _Finally…_ Anna dismounted, tying Hamlet's reins to the branch of a nearby tree. "Good boy. Stay here, okay?" She said, giving him a small pat on the nose before heading to the edge of the treeline. In a few moments, she had crossed from the cool shade of the forest into the warm sun of the valley beyond.

Anna was unsurprised to find the ground around her littered with rocks and stones of all shapes and sizes, silent and unmoving. It may have been the early afternoon, but to the trolls, it was the wee hours of the morning. Of course they were still asleep. But what about Kristoff? Her heart began to race as her eyes scanned the area before her, searching. _He's got to be awake by now…_

As if on cue, a soft sound reached Anna's ears just as this thought was crossing her mind. It was the soft plucking of a lute's strings, accompanied by a soft humming. _Kristoff…_ Her heart began to race as she ran across the valley toward the source of the sound, hopping back and forth carefully, trying to avoid the slumbering trolls beneath her feet. She had almost reached the other side of the clearing when she finally saw him, leaning against a tree, lute in hand. His eyes were closed as he played, oblivious to the girl's arrival.

"Kristoff!" Anna cried, hurrying toward him.

He looked up, startled. It took him a moment to realize who it was that was running toward him. "Anna?"

"Kristoff, I – ahh!" Anna felt her foot catch on one of the sleeping trolls beneath her. The stone rolled away, muttering angrily as the girl went flying through the air, helpless.

"Woah!" Kristoff leapt up and reached out with both arms to catch Anna as she fell toward him. The force of the impact nearly knocked him off his feet, but he managed to maintain a shaky balance as he helped the surprised young girl find her footing. "Are you alright?"

Anna nodded in reply. "Y-yeah, I think so…" She glanced over her shoulder at one of the distant rocks. "Sorry!" She called, hoping the troll could hear her. There was no reply. Maybe he had already fallen back to sleep…

"Anna," Kristoff's voice reached her ears, calling her attention back to him. "What are you doing here?" He asked seriously.

The girl hesitated, unsure of how to begin. _Just tell him the truth. Maybe he'll understand…_ "Kristoff, I had to find you. I had to apologize for yesterday… I'm such an idiot." She shook her head slowly. "Please just let me explain, okay?"

Kristoff's brow furrowed in confusion. "Apologize? What are you talking about?"

The girl took a deep breath. "What I said in the garden… I didn't mean any of it." Anna explained. "When I said I heard what you said to Elsa… I guess I didn't hear _all of it_. I only heard the bad stuff… and… I was afraid." She shrugged, suddenly ashamed. "I never wanted to end it. But I thought _you did_. I only said all that stuff because I thought that was what you wanted to hear. I thought I was making it easier on you… but I just messed everything up… And I'm so, so sorry." Anna felt herself beginning to tear up as she spoke, her cheeks starting to redden. "I love you, and I never meant to hurt you. I want to be with you. Forever." She smiled tentatively as she finished, afraid to look him directly in the eye. _Please forgive me…_

Kristoff did not speak for a few moments, his expression unreadable as he took in everything she had said. It felt like hours passed before he spoke at last. "Anna… I don't know what to say… I… I have no idea what you're talking about." He took a step toward her, his face wrought with worry. "Are you feeling okay?"

Anna looked up at him, speechless. She couldn't have heard him correctly. It took her a bit to finally find her voice. "You're joking, right? Yesterday. In the garden. We… we broke up." Her voice faltered slightly. "Remember?"

Kristoff shook his head, still clearly concerned for the girl. "Anna, you aren't making any sense."

_Is he serious?_ "What?" Anna managed to choke out. Was she going crazy? Had she somehow imagined it all? Or was this all some kind of twisted prank?

"Anna." Kristoff continued gently. "Think about what you're saying. All this 'love' stuff, 'breaking up'… How can we break up if we were never together? It doesn't make sense."

Anna's eyes widened, and it suddenly felt as though she could not breathe. _Never together?_ What was he talking about? "_You're _the one who's not making sense!" She cried suddenly. "You're scaring me..." She sighed, trying to calm herself. "Look, I know you're angry at me. Furious, probably. But please… don't do this." She reached for his hand as she spoke.

Kristoff pulled away, confused. "Do what?" Kristoff shrugged at her helplessly. "Look, Anna. I like you a lot. You and your sister have been really good friends to me – but that's all we are… _Friends_. I don't know if this is some kind of weird way of telling me you have feelings for me or something, but it's starting to freak me out, okay?" He paused. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you need to sit down, or –"

"This isn't funny!" Anna cut him off, her face now red with anger. "Why are you being like this?!" She demanded.

"_Me?_" Kristoff's previous concern being overtaken by his own frustration and anger. "_You're_ the one who followed me all the way here – which is really creepy, by the way – to start ranting about some sort of 'breakup' that never even happened!"

"Some people are trying to sleep, you know!" A third voice suddenly chimed in.

Kristoff and Anna looked down in surprise to find that a small cluster of bleary-eyed trolls had gathered around at their feet, woken rather abruptly by all the shouting.

"Hey… it's Anna!" One of them cried, finally recognizing who Kristoff had been shouting at.

"What is _she_ doing here?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Did you come to apologize?"

"I _did_…" Anna replied, ignoring the insults and suddenly glaring at Kristoff once more. "Until Kristoff decided to play some kind of sick joke on me."

"I told you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kristoff was practically screaming, finally at his wit's end. "And what is she supposed to be apologizing for?" He asked, turning suddenly to face the trolls.

"Oh, I dunno." It was a different troll who spoke this time, rolling her eyes sarcastically as she did so. "Maybe _breaking your heart_?"

"Will everyone please stop saying that?! Anna and I are _friends_." Kristoff shook his head, as though disgusted. "Though I'm not sure how much longer we will be, after this..."

"_Just_ friends?" One of the trolls asked cautiously.

"_Yes!_ How many times do I have to keep saying that? Anna must have bumped her head, or had a weird dream or... _something_. But she keeps insisting that we're together... Or used to be, I guess." Kristoff shook his head sadly. "Do you think we can help her?"

Six tiny stone faces looked up at him in concern, blinking wordlessly.

"Do you see this?" Anna demanded of the trolls, gesturing toward Kristoff as she did so. "Why is he doing this?"

"This is bad… This is very bad… Grun, go wake Grand Pabbie." One of the tiny stone creatures muttered to the troll beside her. He nodded gravely, then scurried away without a word.

"Will someone please just tell me what's going on?" Anna's voice was pleading.

The troll shook her head sadly. "I'm not completely sure..." She admitted. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."

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_A/N: Sorry for dropping a bombshell and then leaving you with a cliffhanger! Please don't hurt me! Hahahaha let's see how many story followers I lose after this chapter, shall we?_

_I'm not 100% pleased with how that chapter turned out, but I was so anxious to post it that I just went ahead and uploaded it anyway haha. So apologies if it's not up to my normal standard. But hopefully it was at least decent!_

_We will get a lot more information about what exactly is going on and how this all happened in the next chapter, but now you guys finally have a taste of the major "twist" I'd been waiting and waiting to get to. :P_

_Please continue to follow/fave/review! I really appreciate it! _


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!_

_Right now, all I've gotta say is WOW. Seriously you guys, I'm stunned! I have been on this site for 11 years (Not even kidding, my first story was published in 2002 when I was 13. How embarrassing is that!? Hahaha) and this is my most-followed story ever! THANK YOU! You guys are fabulous!_

_(As a random response to reviewer – Yes, I do realize that the title of this story comes from Tangled. Where do you think I got it from? Hahahaha. I am bad at naming stories, and figured that A, a Tangled reference would maybe attract more readers, since most Frozen fans are probably Tangled fans; and B, the title makes sense because the story is really about Anna trying to get back what she's lost – "what once was [hers]". So yeah, not the best title, I know, but there's your explanation!)_

_Without any further ado, here is my late Christmas gift to you all… Chapter 6! Enjoy!_

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By the time Grand Pabbie finally emerged, nearly half of the trolls had been woken by the commotion, and had rushed over to see what all the excitement was about. Both Anna and Kristoff had given up on trying to convince the other that they were crazy, and they now stood beside one another in stony silence. The trolls, on the other hand, were in a total uproar.

"He really doesn't remember?"

"Maybe it's better this way!"

"How could this have happened?"

"Do you think Grand Pabbie can fix it?"

"Fix it? How do you think it happened in the first place?"

"Don't blame Grand Pabbie! This is all _her_ fault!"

"Uh, what are we screaming about again?"

"It's always so exciting when Kristoff comes to visit…"

"Shhh! It's Grand Pabbie!"

A sudden hush fell over the small crowd as their leader finally came into view, rubbing his eyes briefly in the harsh light of the afternoon sun as he emerged. "I came as quickly as I could." Grand Pabbie explained wearily, looking up at the two humans. "Please, tell me exactly what happened."

Without hesitation, Anna dropped to her knees before the old troll, bringing herself to eye level. "_Please_,you have to help us, Grand Pabbie." She said urgently, the desperation apparent in her face. "There's… there's something wrong with Kristoff."

"I told you, I'm _fine!" _The young man insisted, crouching down beside her to meet Grand Pabbie's eyes himself. "Don't listen to them, I'm fine." Kristoff repeated, shaking his head. "I don't know if mom put some bad mushrooms in the stew last night or what," he dropped his voice to a whisper, leaning closer. "But everyone's gone crazy."

One of the female trolls stepped forward then, rolling her eyes as she nudged Kristoff aside. "We're not crazy." She turned away from him toward Grand Pabbie, her expression suddenly serious. "We think his memory's been tampered with." She explained gravely.

"What?" The old troll's eyes went wide.

"He doesn't remember ending things with Anna… Or being with her at all, for that matter." The female muttered quickly as Grand Pabbie stepped by her, outstretching two stony hands toward Kristoff. "He keeps telling us they're just friends…. Grand Pabbie, how could this have happened?"

Kristoff tried to turn his head away when he realized what the old shaman was about to do. "Hey, what're you – "

"Shhhh." Grand Pabbie hushed Kristoff as he placed his small hands on the man's temples, closing his eyes for a moment and saying nothing until he opened his eyes once more. "Impossible…" He muttered, pulling away.

"You're the only one who's ever done this kind of magic." One of the trolls called from the crowd. "No one else is powerful enough."

Grand Pabbie shook his head. "I swear to you, it wasn't me." He said seriously. "Kristoff did ask me to…" The old troll's voice trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished. "But I refused." He continued, adamant. "I would never do this."

"He… wanted this?" Anna asked in disbelief, her face full of hurt.

Kristoff furrowed his brow in confusion. "I didn't ask you for anything! What are you talking about?"

"You came to me last night." Grand Pabbie began slowly. And, with a deep breath, he explained.

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_Pabbie's mouth stretched into a small smile as he raised the crooked wooden spoon to his lips. _Delicious._ He thought to himself, enjoying yet another spoonful of his daughter's mushroom stew. It was an old recipe his mother used to make for him, centuries ago, before they came to live in the valley. He had taught Bulda how to make it many years before and it seemed that, after all this time, she had finally mastered it. The smoky taste and thick, rich texture had his mind swirling with all-but-forgotten memories of his childhood home, deep in the caverns that lay miles below the North Mountain._

_ He ate alone under the soft light of the moon, sitting at the base of the massive, hollowed-out tree trunk where he made his home. While the other trolls preferred to make their meals loud, boisterous affairs, Pabbie preferred to enjoy his meals in peace. He had always enjoyed his solitude, and, as the years passed, that seemed to become more and more true. Yes, he still enjoyed spending time with his daughter and her family, and he'd spent countless hours training and enjoying the company of his young apprentice. But it was the simple, quiet moments he could spend to himself that he truly loved, and tonight's was no exception._

_ Unfortunately, however, his solitude was short-lived._

_ "Grand Pabbie?" A deep voice called out, bringing the old troll back to the present._

_ Pabbie lifted his head, looking up at the tall, human figure walking toward him. "Kristoff!" He rose to his feet, smiling. "I'd heard you were back. It's so good to see you." _

_ "You too." Kristoff smiled warmly and knelt to the ground, extending a hand toward his adoptive grandfather._

_ Pabbie held the man's hand with both of his, returning the smile. After a few moments, however, it quickly began to fade. "I sense a deep sorrow in you, Kristoff…" He said sadly, looking up at him. "I take it the rumors are true, then?"_

_ It was apparent that Kristoff knew exactly what he was referring to. "About me and Anna? Yeah… They are." He hung his head low, no longer meeting the old man's gaze. "That's actually what I wanted to come talk to you about… I don't think I can handle this, Grand Pabbie." _

_Pabbie smiled sadly at his grandson in reply, then took a deep breath before speaking. "Kristoff, listen to me. I know you're hurting right now. It may even seem unbearable at times. But pain, loss, heartache… These are all part of life. They help shape us into who we are. When we face times of hardship and darkness we need time to grieve, yes, but we also need to overcome – to accept and move on, so that we may let the light back in. It can be a difficult road, but we all make it there eventually, and we're all the stronger for it. You'll see that one day, I promise you." He reached up, patting Kristoff gently on the shoulder as he finished. _

_ "Thanks, but I didn't come here looking for advice." Kristoff shook his head, still staring at the ground as he spoke. "I understand what you're trying to say, but you just don't get it. This is torture… It's killing me." He lowered his face into his hands, sighing as he continued. "I can't stop thinking about her. It's driving me crazy… I don't want to think about her anymore. I don't want to hurt anymore. I just want to forget everything." Finally, he lifted his head slowly, his eyes meeting Grand Pabbie's once more. "Please, I need your help."_

_ Pabbie was not entirely sure he had understood. _He can't mean…_ "Kristoff, I – I'm not sure I –"_

_ "I've seen you do it before." Kristoff insisted, pleading. "I know what you're capable of." He paused. "Make me forget. Get her out of my head. _Please._"_

_ It was a few moments before Pabbie was able to reply. _How could he ask this of me? _He wondered. "Do you understand the severity of what you're asking? That type of magic is not something to be toyed with lightly."_

_ "I'm not asking lightly. I understand how serious this is"_

_ "Then you understand why I have to say no." Pabbie replied firmly, turning away. "The spell is incredibly powerful, and dangerous. Not to mention irreversible. I will not have any part of this." He paused, looking over his shoulder at the young man. "Kristoff, think about what you're saying. You'd regret it, I'm sure of it."_

_ "No, I wouldn't." Kristoff stood, now towering over the tiny old troll. "How could I regret it if I don't remember? Don't you see? It would be so much easier if –"_

_ "This isn't about what's easy!" Pabbie's voice grew suddenly louder. "It's about doing what's right. And this isn't. Not for you, not for Anna, not for anyone."_

_ "So that's it. You won't help me." It wasn't a question._

"_I wouldn't be helping you, believe me. If it were in my power to make things easier for you, I would. But this isn't the right way. My answer is no." He looked up at his grandson almost timidly, waiting for a response._

_ Kristoff's lips were a hard, thin line across his face and his brown eyes were narrowed in anger. It looked as though he were about to say something, but he remained silent. A few moments passed, and the hard, icy expression on his face slowly melted away into one of resignation and disappointment. _

_ Pabbie sighed, his own expression softening. It pained him to upset Kristoff so, but he knew it was for the best. "You're hurt." He said gently. "You're upset. I understand. But you're also not thinking clearly. Would you really sacrifice all of your happy memories with Anna, just like that? Think of what you'd lose."_

_ Kristoff said nothing. He merely shrugged, staring at the ground once more._

_ "You may think this is what you want, but it isn't. Trust me, please. You will thank me one day, when your thoughts are no longer muddled by your heartbreak." Kristoff did not respond. The old troll glanced briefly at the moon and stars above. "It must be very late for you. Go sleep for a few hours, and think about what I've said." Pabbie tried to smile. "It will all be better in the morning, I promise." _

_ The young man nodded sadly, and finally broke his silence. "I hope so." Kristoff paused, thinking. "Maybe you're right, maybe I'm not thinking straight." He muttered. "I don't know, I just…"_

_ Pabbie nudged Kristoff's leg gently. "Off to bed." He said, gesturing in the direction from where his grandson had come. "You need rest. I've often found that a good day's sleep can do wonders. Try it."_

_ The corner of Kristoff's lip curled into a smile as he slowly trudged away. "A good _night's _sleep for me." He corrected._

_ "Ah yes, of course. My mistake." Pabbie chuckled softly, watching his grandson go. _

_He stood in silence for several moments, even after Kristoff was out of sight, a nagging worry suddenly filling his thoughts. _He'll be fine._ Pabbie told himself, trying to shake off his fears. _He's a smart young man. He understands_. Or at least, he hoped he did._

_And with that, Pabbie returned to his soup, losing himself in his fond childhood memories once more._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"So you see?" Grand Pabbie finished. "It wasn't me. I told Kristoff I would have no part in his plan, and I meant it."

"You also told him he'd feel better in the morning," Ruli, one of the youngest trolls, piped up. "And he does!" He cried happily. His sister Oona stepped heavily on his foot in reply. "Ow!"

"_And_," Kristoff added, annoyed, "You said you ate some of mom's stew. I'm telling you, bad mushrooms." He laughed, though there was little humor in it. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Grand Pabbie." He thought back to the night before. He _did _remember going to see his grandfather last night. But what was it they'd talked about? Kristoff furrowed his brow, struggling to remember, but the memory was too fuzzy. _Probably 'cause I was so tired…_

Anna ignored Ruli and Kristoff's comments. "Well, if it wasn't you, then who was it?" She asked Grand Pabbie, desperate.

Before the old troll could reply, there was a small, nervous cough from among the throng of gathered trolls. "Um… That was me." A small voice rang out as one of the tiny creatures shuffled forward. The crowd parted, and a short round figure drew near.

"Stent?" Grand Pabbie's gravelly voice called out in disbelief as his apprentice came into view.

Stent bit his lip anxiously. "Let me explain." He squeaked out.

"Please do." Grand Pabbie's eyes narrowed.

The younger troll gulped nervously before speaking. "I… kind of eavesdropped last night." He admitted, staring at his feet and wringing his hands as he spoke. "I heard what Kristoff asked you, and I heard what you told him… And I guess…" His voice trailed off and he gave a small shrug. "I kind of thought that maybe if you wouldn't help him… I could?" Stent spoke the words like a question.

"You didn't."

"I did." Stent hung his head low, unable to meet his master's gaze. "You didn't see how bad it was, Grand Pabbie. Kristoff came with me into the woods last night to gather some toadstools and… he was just so upset. I could tell he was hurting, and I didn't know what to do." The troll shook his head. "I tried to cheer him up, but nothing worked. He wasn't our Kristoff anymore." His voice was very small. "I hated seeing him like that. We all did, didn't we?" Stent glanced at the other trolls hopefully. A few nodded, while others continued staring at him in shocked disapproval.

He hesitated before continuing. "I thought that maybe he was right… It would be easier if he just… _forgot_. So, after you turned him down, I followed him back to Sven, waited for him to fall asleep, and…" He did not complete the statement, but everyone knew what would come next. Stent's eyes turned to Anna. "You really hurt him." He explained simply. "And I wanted to help fix what you did."

"By erasing his memory?!" Anna cried, hysterical.

"No, no, not erasing!" Stent held up two tiny stone hands defensively. "I mean… I tried that… That's what Kristoff wanted, wasn't it? But it was too hard." He shrugged. "I've seen Grand Pabbie do it a few times. But I didn't know how difficult it actually was. So I just… _tweaked things_ a little, I guess…"

"A _little_?" Anna was on her feet.

"Okay, a lot…" Stent allowed, looking up at the girl nervously. "But Kristoff still remembers you!" He said emphatically. "Just not how he _felt_ about you…" The troll hung his head for a moment, but then, quite abruptly, his demeanor became defensive. "Look, how was I supposed to know you were gonna show up and apologize?!" He demanded. "I was just trying to help!"

Grand Pabbie held his face in his heads. "Oh Stent, you fool…" He muttered, more sad than angry. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Grand Pabbie, you have to undo this." Anna pleaded. She could still barely believe what had happened – it felt as though she were in a dream. _This can't be real, this can't be real…_

The old shaman shook his head sadly. "I wish I could… But it's just not possible. Reversing such strong magic is beyond my power… I'm sorry."

"_No…"_ Anna couldn't breathe. _No…_ She dropped to her knees, her head spinning. _This can't be real, this can't be real, this can't be real…_ But she knew that, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself, _it was._ "Please, you have to do something…" The young girl's eyes sparkled with tears.

Kristoff, who had remained silent for the past several minutes, stood suddenly then, his expression unreadable. "Can everyone please just stop?" He glanced down at the weeping girl at his feet. "Don't cry, okay? _Stop_. Listen… I'm not entirely sure what's going on. None of you are making any sense. But I – I just can't handle this right now. There's something weird going on and… I just… can't." He was silent for a few moments. "Where's Sven?" He asked suddenly, looking toward the tree line where he'd last seen his friend, napping in the afternoon sun.

A large brown lump rested on a far-off grassy knoll, the reindeer's back rising and falling slowly with each breath. Without another word, Kristoff was off, headed toward the animal in the distance.

"Where are you going?" Anna called tearfully after him, as a chorus of gruff troll voices echoed her thought.

"For a walk." He replied sternly, not even glancing back at her.

The valley was silent as the princess and the trolls watched Kristoff wake Sven gently, gesture into the trees, and vanish with the reindeer without another word. A soft breeze blew through the trees, and the only sound that punctuated the tense silence was Anna's soft sniffling as she tried in vain to hold back her tears.

Finally, it was Bulda who spoke. She walked forward, placing a hand on Anna's back soothingly. "He won't go far." The troll tried to assure her. "He's just really confused right now… It might take some time for him to… _accept_ this."

"And then what?" Anna asked, her voice thick. "So what if he 'accepts' it? That won't change anything. It won't fix this…"

Grand Pabbie sighed heavily, taking a step toward the grieving young girl. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," he confessed. "But there _may _be a chance to make things right again. To restore Kristoff's memories. It's a bit of a long shot, but…"

The princess looked up at him, her eyes suddenly lit up and hopeful. "What is it?"

"Now, there's no guarantee it will work…" Grand Pabbie began, choosing his words carefully. "It will be very difficult, and extremely dangerous…"

"_Please_." Anna wiped her eyes and climbed slowly to her feet. "I'll do anything. Just…" She took a deep breath, bracing herself. "Just tell me what I have to do."

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_A/N: Wooh, we are at the main plotline! Yayyyy! Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Please continue to fave, follow, and review! You are all amazing. _

_(PS: Trolls seem to me like they'd live for centuries, so…. That's what I'm going with haha. It was mentioned briefly in this chapter, and it's gonna come up a bit again in the next chapter, so I just thought I'd mention it in my author's note). _


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: First thing's first – I can't believe I forgot to do this multiple chapters ago, but I need to give a special shout-out to kittehkitty2 for her (I'm assuming you're a girl? Correct me if I'm wrong!) advice about writing dialogue. It really helped, and you totally deserve a public shout-out. :)_

_Secondly… You guyssssssss. You're making me blush over here with all of these follows (over 100?! Seriously?!) and lovely, lovely reviews. THANK YOU! (I know I say that every time, but I'm going to continue because I really, genuinely appreciate you guys!)._

_Here's chapter 7. Enjoy!_

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_Splash!_ The little gray pebble vanished beneath the cool blue surface of the tiny pond, sinking away into the hidden depths below. Kristoff lifted another of the small rocks from the ground beneath his feet and sent it flying as well, crashing into the water and meeting the same fate as the countless stones before it. By the time it was completely out of sight, a new pebble already sat in the man's large hand, waiting to soar through the air like the rest.

Sven stood a few feet away from his friend, watching uncertainly as the rock-throwing continued. Kristoff had just finished explaining to the reindeer what had happened with Anna and the trolls, and the poor creature's somewhat simple (and still-weary) mind was having a hard time processing it all. Maybe he was still dreaming? His empty stomach and the lack of juicy carrots suggested otherwise.

Kristoff sighed softly as he threw the last stone and turned to face Sven, breaking the silence at last. "I mean, isn't it weird?" He asked. "They won't stop going on and on about all this stuff with me and Anna, and then they're talking about messing with my head or something… It's crazy!" Kristoff paused for a moment. "But I guess _I'm _the one who feels kind of crazy right now." He admitted quietly, shaking his head. "They keep telling me I forgot all this stuff… But I couldn't, could I? I mean, how could I forget..." He faltered for a moment. "_Loving someone?_" It was a struggle to choke the words out, and hearing them aloud just made the whole thing seem even more impossible. "It's all gotta be some kind of weird joke, right?" His voice was far from confident as he spoke.

Sven appeared to be considering the question for a moment, then shrugged his large shaggy shoulders, gesturing back toward the valley with his antlers. "Why would they lie about something like that?" The words came out of the young man's mouth as they formed in the reindeer's mind.

"I don't know… This isn't like them." Kristoff replied, furrowing his brow. Yes, his family's sense of humor could be a bit unusual at times, but would they really go this far?

"And what about Anna?" Sven continued. "You said she was really upset."

The man's voice returned to normal. "I know." He agreed. "She was crying…" Kristoff could still picture her, kneeling on the ground in front of him with tears sparkling in her eyes. She had looked so devastated, so lost. All that over a joke? It didn't seem right…

"You must know, Sven." Kristoff looked up at his friend, the realization finally dawning on him. "You wouldn't lie to me…" He hesitated. "Is it true? I mean, Anna and I… Were we…?"

The reindeer nodded his head slowly.

"Seriously?" Kristoff's eyes widened.

Sven nodded yet again.

_Could it really be true? _Kristoff groaned softly, dropping himself down on one of the small boulders near the water's edge. "This just doesn't make any sense…" He held his face in his hands for a few moments, thinking. How could it be? _Me… and Anna?_ She was a nice girl, sure… And pretty cute, he had to admit. Beautiful, even. But she was his _friend_, and, try as he might, he simply couldn't think of her as anything more than that. _This has to be a mistake_. He told himself firmly.

Kristoff got to his feet, beckoning Sven closer to him. "I think we've been gone long enough… Come on, Buddy. Let's head back." He let out a slow, deep breath. "We need to figure this out." He said, resigned to the fact that he could not simply brush this aside. There was definitely something serious going on, that much he was willing to admit. Now the only questions that remained were what exactly that 'something' was, and what he was going to do about it.

It took several minutes for the pair to make their way back to the valley, and they spent it in total silence – Kristoff lost in his racing thoughts, and Sven wondering when it would finally be time for lunch. Kristoff fidgeted uncomfortably as he walked, silently rehearsing exactly what he would say, again and again. _Just stay calm, _he kept telling himself, _and explain that this is all a huge misunderstanding. They've got to understand…_

When they finally reached the clearing, Kristoff was surprised to find it nearly deserted. Most of the trolls had gone back to sleep, and Anna was nowhere to be found. _Is the joke over?_ He wondered as he crossed from the shade of the tall trees into the bright light of the afternoon sun. _Or maybe they've finally come to their senses…_ His brown eyes quickly searched the tiny group of still-conscious trolls before they fell on Grand Pabbie's weary form.

"Grand Pabbie," the young man approached the old troll, crouching down in front of him. "What happened? Where's Anna?"

"On her way back to Arendelle." Grand Pabbie replied simply, his expression difficult to read.

"Oh." Kristoff muttered uncertainly. "So… I guess she figured out this was all a mistake?" He asked, hopeful.

Grand Pabbie sighed. "No," He said seriously. "She's gone back to the palace to gather supplies."

"For what?"

He sighed softly. "Kristoff, you have to listen to me." The old troll said urgently. "Anna is about to undertake a _very _dangerous journey… For you."

Kristoff raised his eyebrows in surprise. _For me?_ "What are you talking about?"

"I know you're still struggling to accept all this, but please try to understand. Your mind has been affected by very powerful magic."

"But –"

Grand Pabbie raised one stony hand. "Please, hear me out, Kristoff. Anna blames herself for what's happened, and she wants to make things right again. I know I should not have said anything…" The guilt was apparent on the old troll's face. "But I shared with her a possible way to restore your memories." He paused. "Kristoff, you cannot let her do this alone."

The young man's brow furrowed. "Okay, back up. Let's just… _pretend_ for a minute that something weird _did_ happen with my memories, or whatever. I thought you said you couldn't fix it."

"I cannot, it's true." Grand Pabbie replied. "But there is someone else who, I believe, may be able to… Though the risk is great." He admitted sadly.

"I don't understand."

"I suppose I should start from the beginning..." The old troll took a deep breath and told his grandson exactly what he had told Anna.

"Kristoff, I'm sure you are aware that ours is not the only settlement of trolls that exists in these mountains."

"It's not? I mean, I always wondered if there were others… But I wasn't sure." Kristoff confessed.

"There are dozens." Grand Pabbie explained. "Deep in the forests, high on the mountains, in deep caves and underground caverns… They are much like us, in many ways – the way they live and work together, their customs and traditions… Here we are quite unique, however, in our dealings with humans."

The man furrowed his brow in confusion. "Okay… So how do these other trolls handle humans?"

"Most don't." The troll shrugged. "They are so hidden, so secluded, many have remained undisturbed for centuries. Those unlucky enough to be discovered, however…" He hesitated. "Well, I suppose it's the humans who are the truly unlucky ones."

Kristoff remained silent, understanding immediately what the old troll was implying.

Grand Pabbie could read the look on the young man's face easily. "Please, don't misunderstand – They are not complete monsters, though it may seem that way to you. It is simply our way. Trolls have never been welcoming to outsiders… Those of us in this valley are the exception." He paused, as though waiting to judge the human's reaction.

Kristoff simply shook his head. "Grand Pabbie, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I did not always live in this valley, Kristoff. None of us did." The old shaman paused, taking another deep breath. "I was born many miles from here, in an ancient troll stronghold, deep in the caverns beneath the North Mountain." His expression was suddenly very thoughtful, wistful, almost, as his mind travelled far back to a time long ago.

"It is the largest of the troll settlements in this land, and by far the most powerful. There were hundreds of us, and I'm certain their population has grown even more in the years since I left. Our numbers were great, but our wealth was even greater. We would mine the gold and gems from deep within the heart of the mountain, and use the riches to trade with surrounding troll settlements. What we did not trade, we used to build – dwellings, temples, statues – anything you could imagine – crafted from pure gold. It is unlike anything you've ever seen, believe me."

Grand Pabbie gestured to the empty expanse of the valley around them. "We live a simple life here." He said slowly. "It's a good life, one that I enjoy immensely… But it is nothing like the life I once knew." He shook his head almost sadly before continuing.

"I was the apprentice of our shaman… Just as Stent is to me. Young though I was, I was highly respected and loved by our people… But not as much as her – our healer, our leader. She taught me everything I know… I would not be who I am today without her." That strange, wistful look came to his eyes yet again as he spoke. "Raaza is her name… She could do incredible things – things that I could never dream of, even today. Great things, powerful things… and horrible things."

"Like what?" Kristoff asked softly, completely immersed in the fascinating tale. _Why hasn't he told me about this before?_

The old troll hesitated. "I do not like to speak of it… But you need to understand." It seemed to be a struggle for him to keep his voice calm and even as he continued. "She could rip a man's heart from his chest without a single incision, simply by speaking a few ancient words of an old incantation… I saw many unwitting human explorers meet this fate, right before my eyes." He shook his head.

"When I was very young, we were at war with another settlement of trolls from the Eastern forest. She handled all of our prisoners personally and… Well, it was what she did to their _minds _that was the worst. It was like she could control their thoughts, manipulate them, convince them to tell her anything she desired… I could go on." He said softly. "But I believe my point has been made.

"All trolls are born with magic in our blood. Some are more gifted than others," he explained, "But she is, without a doubt, the most powerful of our kind I have ever known… And the most dangerous." Grand Pabbie did not speak for several moments. Kristoff said nothing, struggling to take it all in.

"Eventually, it became too much." Grand Pabbie finally broke the silence. "I was grateful for everything Raaza had taught me, but I knew that I could not continue living in a place with such violence and brutality." He sighed. "So I gathered up a handful of others who shared my views and… We left." The old troll finished simply. "And you know what?" He asked, almost amused. "She let us go, no questions asked. In fact, most of the supplies we took with us were a parting gift from her… After everything we'd gone through, all of the horrible things she'd done, all of the times I'd questioned her, she still respected me. And I respected her as well... That was nearly three hundred years ago, and I still think of her, from time to time. I suppose you could say I miss her." He shrugged. "Friendship can be a funny thing."

Kristoff's eyes widened as the story finally came to an end. "_Friendship? _How could you be friends with someone like that?"

"Magic is all about both darkness and light… Most trolls choose darkness. It is in our nature." Grand Pabbie replied simply. "Just not in _mine_. I could never justify the horrible things she's done… But that does not diminish all the good she did for me and our people."

Kristoff was silent for a few moments, trying to understand. "So… the reason you're telling me all this…" He began, fearing what Grand Pabbie was about to say.

"As I said, Raaza is the most powerful troll I have ever known… And, I believe, the only one capable of setting your mind right again."

The young man's heart sank. _I knew it… _"You have got to be kidding me." He groaned miserably. "So Anna…"

"Is gathering supplies," Grand Pabbie finished for him, "To prepare for her journey to the North Mountain."

"Is she crazy?!"

"She's in love." The old troll replied with a small smile. "Which, in my experience, is almost the same thing."

Kristoff go to his feet, shaking his head. "Just… Just hold on, okay? We need to talk about this, figure this whole thing out before we do anything crazy." He looked around at the empty valley, frustrated. _Why isn't she here?_ "Why'd she go rushing off like that?" He asked, annoyed. "Can't she just talk to me?"

"She doesn't have much time." Grand Pabbie replied simply. "The Summer Solstice is only a week away."

"The Midsummer festival? Yeah, I know." Kristoff replied in confusion. "We've been getting ready for it for weeks back in Arendelle."

"You know that the Summer and Winter Solstice are the two most important days for our people." The troll said softly. "In the Winter, our power grows because of the moon's prolonged presence in the sky. At the Sumer Solstice, the night is very brief, but the sun is strong and bright in the sky."

"But... I thought your power came from the moon."

"It does… But where does the moon glean its own power?" Grand Pabbie paused. "The sun."

Kristoff's brow furrowed. "So… the sun has more power, which gives the moon more power, which…"

"Gives us more power in return, yes." The shaman replied. "Raaza is already incredibly powerful, and the Summer Solstice will only strengthen her abilities. If you can reach Raaza on the solstice, your chances of success are greatly improved."

"Okay… But how does Anna expect to do this on her own? I mean, how is she supposed to 'cure me', or whatever it is she's trying to do?"

Grand Pabbie shrugged. "I think she is hoping for a potion, or enchanted object – something she can bring with her. I warned her it was unlikely but… She is determined."

_Of course she is…. _"Fine, then how is she supposed to find her way?"

"I gave her a map," His grandfather replied simply. "Of all the troll settlements in this area. It is written in our ancient runes, so she cannot read its words… But the path to the North Mountain should be marked clearly enough. Once there, well… I do not have a map of the tunnels beneath the mountain." He confessed. "But, if my memory serves me correctly, the route to the city should not be difficult to find."

"How do you even know this will work?"

"I don't." Grand Pabbie admitted guiltily. "But it's the only chance you have."

"I thought you said these other trolls hate humans… Won't they kill her?" Kristoff demanded, his voice steadily rising. _This is insane! There's no way she'd do something so stupid… Would she?_

"That… is a possibility."

"WHAT?!"

The old troll lifted his hands defensively. "I gave her a token!" He tried to explain. "A trinket, from my old days beneath the mountain. Raaza will recognize it and, if she still honors our friendship the way I believe she does, she will listen, and she will help you." Grand Pabbie paused. "Please, Kristoff. Anna cannot do this alone. She needs you. "

Neither of them spoke for several long moments. Kristoff sighed heavily. "I still think this whole thing is insane… But I guess I really don't have a choice, do I?" _There's no way she'd even make it there on her own, let alone negotiate with the trolls… _He glanced over his shoulder at Sven, who was munching on some carrots a few feet away. "What d'ya say, buddy?" Kristoff asked sadly. "Should we go risk our lives for the princess again?"

Sven nodded enthusiastically, one long orange carrot still hanging from his lips.

Relief washed over Grand Pabbie's face. "Go quickly," he urged the young man. "You need to meet her in Arendelle before she departs. Keep Anna safe, and remember all that I told you."

Kristoff nodded slowly as the old shaman nudged him toward Sven. "If – If you say so." _Wait, am I really doing this?_

"Do not allow Anna to lose the token." Grand Pabbie said seriously. "That's the key to earning Raaza's trust…"

"Okay…" Kristoff replied nervously as he fastened Sven's saddle. _Why can't anything ever be easy?_

"And please, _please_ believe that this is all for the best… That girl loves you more than you'll ever know."

The man sighed as he pulled himself onto the reindeer's back. "That's what everyone keeps telling me." As he prepared to depart, Kristoff glanced down at the old troll one last time. "Well… Goodbye, I guess." He shook his head. "I really hope you're right about all this, Grand Pabbie."

"As do I… Good luck, Kristoff. Be safe."

And with that, the young man and the reindeer were off, crossing once more into the trees and heading east toward the kingdom beyond. "What're we getting ourselves into?" Kristoff muttered to Sven as they flew beneath the lush, green trees.

Mountains, caverns, angry trolls… All to find something he still wasn't convinced he'd lost in the first place. _That's not why I'm doing this. _He reminded himself firmly. _I'm doing it so that dummy doesn't get herself killed. I'm just going along with this to protect Anna… _But who would protect _him?_

The first time he'd gone on a dangerous adventure for this girl felt like a lifetime ago, and here he was, back at it again. Why did he keep doing this to himself? He thought again of Anna, crying pitifully at his feet, and Grand Pabbie's words seemed to echo in his mind. _Friendship can be a funny thing…_

"He's got that right." Kristoff muttered to himself as he urged Sven forward, down the winding mountain path toward Arendelle.

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_A/N: -fanfare plays - Ta da! And now everyone is on the same page about where I was going with all this… :) _

_This is still, at its heart, a romance story, but we are definitely going to be shifting into the "adventure" genre as we go on (especially since the romance is now one-sided… Poor Anna!). I have some interesting and (in my opinion) exciting adventures in store for Anna and Kristoff as they make their way to the troll stronghold, and I hope you will all have fun coming along for the ride :D _

_Thank you again for the faves, follows, and reviews! I am enjoying writing this story immensely. When I first came up with this idea, I was very excited, because I thought it was kind of unique. It's all coming together even better than I'd thought, so I'm really proud of this story! I think it's probably my favorite fanfic I've ever written. (I don't usually like to talk myself up or anything, so forgive this brief out-of-character moment from me! I just randomly wanted to share that somewhere.)_

_As always, thank you for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! As a gift… here's the next chapter! :D I go back to work tomorrow, so after this weekend, expect the time between chapters to grow a bit (I can do at least one a week, but this one-every-two/three-days thing cannot continue, I'm afraid! I need to focus my attention on __corrupting children - er...__ shaping young minds. :P)_

_Apologies for kind of "rushing" this chapter, and sorry if it feels like it's two chapters in one – it kind of is! My original plan was that the events of this chapter would span two separate ones, but I decided to try to condense it and see how it turns out. I was really eager to get to the journey, and decided to move us ahead a little bit to when things get more exciting._

_Try to enjoy, despite a possible dip in pacing and quality! I promise the next chapters will be better! (And join me in bidding a fond farewell to Elsa :( This is the last we'll be seeing of her in a while. She is actually my favorite character from Frozen, but, unfortunately, this is not her story, and the time has come to bid her adieu!)_

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The queen wrung her hands nervously as she watched her younger sister rush around the bedroom, pulling seemingly random articles of clothing from her drawers and dresser and throwing them haphazardly into a small travelling bag on her bed. Elsa was not entirely sure what was going on, and she struggled to follow the confusing story as her sister frantically explained herself.

Anna hadn't stopped speaking since the moment she'd returned to the castle. She'd simply burst through the door, caught sight of her sister in the hall, and began speaking very quickly and very loudly as she rushed off to her bedroom. The rather bewildered queen had struggled to keep up as the young girl raced up the stairs, burst into her room, and began packing, never pausing her story once, or even checking to see if Elsa was actually listening.

Anna's voice was muffled now, her entire torso lost in the depths of her large armoire as she dug around, searching for something. "And if I don't get there by the solstice it might be too late, so I have to leave _now!_" The princess continued, not even stopping to take a breath._ "_Okay, maybe not _right_ now… I haven't even finished packing… But soon. Like, tonight. Maybe tomorrow. I'm not sure yet. Have you seen my hair brush?" She emerged rather ungracefully with a small "Oof!", her skirt now horribly wrinkled and her braids coming undone. Without hesitation she flew to her dresser and began desperately digging through the clutter that lay on top of it. "Where is it, where is it?" She muttered to herself.

Shaking her head, Elsa reached out and placed a hand gently on the younger girl's shoulder. "Huh?" Anna finally paused, turning to face her sister at last.

"It's in your hand."

"Oh! Heh." Anna let out a small laugh before tossing the brush gently onto her bed with the other clothes and accessories she'd already thrown there. She then turned back to the dresser, ready to continue looking for more items to pack until Elsa grabbed her again, a bit more firmly this time.

"Anna, slow down." She said, as soothingly as she could manage, despite her own shock and confusion. Elsa gently guided her frazzled sister to the bed, where they sat side by side amongst the messy pile of clothing. "Okay, let me get this straight…" The queen took a deep breath. "Kristoff went home to the trolls."

Anna nodded, listening.

"And Grand Pabbie erased Kristoff's memory?"

The princess shook her head. "His apprentice," she corrected. "And he didn't _erase_ it, he _changed_ it."

"Right, sorry…" Elsa cleared her throat before continuing. "And the only way to fix it is to go to the North Mountain and talk to these trolls before the solstice?"

The girl nodded this time. "Well, _on _the solstice, really. And it's only a week away… Which is why I need to finish packing and go." Anna stood as she spoke, her eyes back on the messy dresser once more.

"Woah there, hold on." Elsa grabbed Anna's arm gently, pulling her back onto the bed. "You can't really be planning on doing this alone."

Anna shrugged, her gaze falling to the floor below her. "What choice do I have?" She asked sadly. "I can't lose him, Elsa… I'm going to get him back. And if this is what it takes, then…"

Elsa hesitated. "I could go with you." The woman said softly, glancing down at her hands for a moment. "I can use my powers to protect you." She offered. "To keep you safe."

Her sister shook her head. "Come on, Elsa. You and I both know you can't do that." She paused. "It's bad enough to have the princess rushing off into the mountains… The queen can't disappear too. Arendelle needs you. It's too dangerous."

A soft sigh escaped Elsa's lips. "You're probably right, but… I can't just let you go alone." She bit her lip uncertainly. "Why not talk to Kristoff?" She suggested.

Anna laughed, though she looked as though she were about to cry. "Are you kidding? Why would he help me? He doesn't believe any of this… He thinks I'm crazy."

"You're right," A deep voice called from behind them. "I do."

Both girls turned around, shocked to find Kristoff leaning in the doorway, a slight look of amusement on his face. "Crazy enough to risk your life going into the mountains alone, apparently."

"Kristoff!" Anna leapt to her feet at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed softly. "Well… I don't think I'm really ready to believe all this 'lost memories' stuff." Kristoff admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders. "But a journey like this is way more than you can handle, and I can't just stand by and let you do this on your own." He shook his head slowly. "Not for me."

Anna's eyes lit up. "So… you're coming?" She asked hopefully.

Kristoff hesitated. "Well… Honestly, I was kind of planning on trying to talk you out of it…" He shrugged. "But it doesn't look like that's a possibility."

The girl shook her head. "I'm doing this." She said seriously.

"Then…" Kristoff sighed, defeated. "I guess I am too."

"Really?" A small squeal of delight filled the air and Anna threw her arms around the now-startled young man. "Oh, I just knew you'd come around." She said happily, burying her face in his chest tenderly. "I'm so, so sorry, Kristoff. This is all my fault… But I promise you, we'll fix this. Together."

Kristoff cleared his throat softly, his cheeks beginning to redden. "Uh… Anna?"

"What?" She glanced up at Kristoff, still hugging him tightly. _Oh, right… _Suddenly, she remembered, and her joy began to vanish as quickly as it had come. Anna supposed she'd have to get used to not being so affectionate around Kristoff. _It must be really awkward for him… _The thought saddened her immensely, but she tried not to show it.

Instead, she simply let out a small, nervous laugh as she pulled away from him. "I'm really glad you're coming." She said sincerely. "Because, well… I have no idea what to do." This was very true. "I don't even know what to pack." Anna gestured toward her bed helplessly. "I was just pulling random things out of my wardrobe and stuffing them in a bag." She confessed.

Kristoff could not help but chuckle in reply. "Okay," He said, rolling his eyes. "You might want to start over, then."

Anna nodded seriously and hurried back to the bed to begin removing items from the over-flowing travel bag.

"You'll wanna pack light." Kristoff continued, watching her with amusement. "Just a couple changes of clothes… and make sure you throw some winter stuff in there. You know how cold it can get in those mountains, even in summer."

"Got it." Anna muttered distractedly as she began sorting through her various articles of clothing.

He shook his head slowly, still amused, before turning to address the girl's sister, who was now on her feet as well. "Elsa," Kristoff inclined his head toward her in greeting. "I was, uh… kind of hoping you'd be able to help provide us with some supplies? I mean, if it's not too much trouble…"

"Of course," the queen replied kindly. "Anything you need." Elsa moved toward the door, beckoning to the young man as she went. "Please, follow me."

Kristoff gave a small nod and followed, surprised by how easily the queen had agreed to help. _This must really mean a lot to them… _He glanced over his shoulder at Anna as he crossed into the hall. "Just finish packing," he told her. "And I'll meet you back here."

Her muffled reply was impossible to understand, as the princess had vanished once more into her wardrobe, half of her body now hidden from view. The best he could make out was a muttered comment about "stupid boots" before the room was too far out of earshot to hear anything more.

Kristoff walked beside the queen as they began their descent down the large spiral staircase to the floors below. "Okay… So we'll need plenty of food, of course." He began, mentally going down a list of necessary supplies as he spoke. "Camping supplies – tents, blankets, kindling for fire… Some torches, definitely rope…" He continued listing off items, while Elsa tried to make a mental note of each one.

"I have a lot of that stuff already." Kristoff explained. "But only enough for one person."

"It's fine, Kristoff." Elsa reassured him as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "I'll send word to the servants and they'll gather everything you need."

"Thank you." He said seriously. "This whole thing's gonna be hard enough as it is… But this really helps."

The woman did not speak for a few moments as she let everything finally sink-in. _They're really going to go through with this… _Elsa hung her head sadly for a moment as the thought crossed her mind. "So… I guess it's true, then?" She asked softly, breaking the silence.

"What is?"

The queen shrugged her slender shoulders. "This whole thing." She paused. "I mean, you and Anna were so…" She shook her head. "You really don't remember?"

Kristoff sighed. "_No._" He said simply. "I mean, I… I guess I can't deny that something weird's going on." He admitted. "But I just… don't feel that way about your sister. I'm sorry." A look of guilt crossed his face as he spoke.

"Oh, Kristoff…" Elsa shook her head sadly. "Anna was right…" She looked up at him, her voice almost pleading. "You have to fix this. Anna needs you. My sister was alone for so long… She didn't have anyone. Not even me, for a long time. And then you came along…" Elsa paused, surprised by the sudden wave of emotion that began to overtake her as she spoke. "She can't lose you. Not like this." She finished simply.

Kristoff looked down at the queen, not sure what to say. "I – I understand." He muttered uncertainly. It was so strange, having everyone tell him about this incredible romance he had no recollection of. It all felt so surreal. "We'll figure this whole thing out, one way or another." He tried his best to sound reassuring, masking his own trepidation.

"Thank you, Kristoff. I know you will…" Elsa replied, composing herself at last. "Now, we need to act quickly. It's already nightfall." She glanced out a nearby window at the darkening sky as she spoke. "Go home, gather whatever you need while I help the servants prepare the rest of your supplies. You and Sven can spend the night in the castle – I'll have the stables and one of the guest rooms made up for you."

"Oh, you don't have to do that…"

"I insist. You need to be well-rested before you depart."

"Well, thanks, I guess… Again." Kristoff muttered awkwardly. "I'll be back soon, okay?" He gave the queen a small nod before heading off down the hall toward the castle doors beyond, a thousand thoughts spinning in his head as he went.

Elsa watched him go, her heart brimming with sadness as she marveled at how quickly things had begun falling apart. _Gods, help them get through this. _She silently pleaded. Then, with a heavy sigh, she rushed off toward the kitchens to alert the servants and help begin their preparations for the journey ahead.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The sky above was a beautiful blue as Sven trotted beneath the tall green trees, pulling the heavy sleigh behind him. The ground underneath him was rough and rocky, and the task was proving difficult for the poor reindeer. Kristoff had attached a set of wheels to the back of the sled, to be removed when they finally reached the cold mountain snows. This addition helped considerably, but navigating the rough terrain was still a struggle for Sven.

"Easy, buddy." Kristoff called soothingly, leaning far forward to pat the reindeer's back gently. "Don't push yourself." He sat back slowly, easing up on the reins as he did so.

Anna sat beside him, completely silent as she watched the trees around them race by. Her mind was far away, back in the castle gardens where she had foolishly broken Kristoff's heart, and caused this whole mess in the first place. Why hadn't she just _talked _to him? How could she have been so stupid? _This is all my fault… I deserve this…_ She told herself miserably, letting out a soft sigh and burying her face in her hands.

Kristoff noticed this and glanced sideways at her, feeling extremely awkward as he did so. Anna had said almost nothing since they'd left Arendelle that morning, and the silence was starting to get to him. He knew that she was upset – of course she would be, assuming her story was true (which, much to Kristoff's chagrin, was starting to seem likely). But if they were supposed to spend the next six days together, the least she could do was talk to him. _I can't just let her mope around like this…_

He hesitated before finally speaking, breaking the hours-long silence between them at last. "So…" He began slowly, trying to sound casual. "Grand Pabbie told me he gave you something? Besides the map, I mean. It sounded like it was pretty important." Kristoff had all but forgotten about his grandfather's "trinket" until he began desperately racking his brain for topics of conversation. _I wonder what it could be…_

Anna did not immediately reply, but sat up slowly, reaching into a small satchel she carried at her side. She gingerly pulled out a long golden chain that had, at its end, a large circular medallion. The pendant was solid gold, covered in dozens of tiny, sparkling sapphires that spiraled towards its center, where a large, dazzling ruby lay, glimmering in the sunlight.

"Woah." Kristoff muttered breathlessly, staring at the beautiful medallion in amazement. He'd never seen anything like it before.

"I know." Anna agreed softly, turning the pendant over in her hands, examining the jewels closely. "We don't even have anything like this back in Arendelle. It's gorgeous."

"I can't believe Grand Pabbie called _this _a 'trinket'…" He reached out with his free hand, and Anna gently handed him the beautiful ornament. Kristoff ran his fingers over the bright red and blue stones as Anna's voice reached his ears.

"Maybe to him, it is." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, a city made of gold? This is probably nothing compared to the rest of their treasure."

"Mmm." Kristoff muttered distractedly, finally handing the medallion back to her. "Well, keep it safe." He thought back to what Grand Pabbie had told him "If we want this 'Raaza' to trust us, we're going to need that pendant."

Anna laughed softly as she carefully returned the medallion to her bag. "Yeah, if we even make it to the mountain in the first place." Her confidence had gradually begun to fade since the moment they'd left Arendelle. The mountain still felt so far away, not to mention what still lay ahead once they finally got there. She thought back to the last time they'd gone on a journey like this, two summers ago, when they'd gone to the North Mountain in search of Elsa. So much had changed since then, and to Anna, it felt like another lifetime. It had been a perilous journey, even then. And far from easy… But luck had been on their side. Could they really get lucky a second time? Anna wasn't so sure.

"Oh, come on. It won't be so bad." Kristoff said confidently. Perhaps a few hours ago, he wouldn't have been so sure. But there was something about the blue sky, fresh air, and wind in his face that had brightened his mood considerably. He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "I mean, yeah, if you were on your own, you wouldn't stand a chance. But with me here, it'll be fine."

"Is that so?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms in front of her.

He smirked in amusement. "You said it yourself – you'd have no idea what to do."

"Well, maybe not…" The girl admitted. "But you've gotta give me a little more credit than that."

"I bet you'd still be back in Arendelle right now." Kristoff continued, his smile widening. "Trying to figure out how to carry that ridiculous bag with you."

Anna rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but laugh along. _He's probably right, actually_. She thought to herself, though she'd never admit it out loud. "Hey, it wasn't _that _bad… And I put most of that stuff back anyway!"

"I still say you won't need three pairs of shoes…"

Their playful banter continued for a while, and helped to lighten the mood considerably. The second half their day's journey was much better than the first, and went by much more quickly. Before they knew it, the sky had begun to darken and poor Sven was moving more and more slowly. Finally, Kristoff glanced down at the worn map in his hands, struggling to see in the dimming light. "We're making good time." He muttered half to himself as he pulled the reindeer to a halt. "I guess we can stop here for the night."

Sven was extremely grateful for the chance to rest, and the reindeer flopped to the ground almost immediately when his harness was, at last, unfastened. Anna sat beside him on the soft, mossy ground, stroking his fur gently as Kristoff started a small fire nearby.

"See?" The young man smiled as he reached into the sled, pulling out some of the meat they had packed with them. "We made it through the day in one piece."

Just as Anna's confidence had begun to dip since their journey began, Kristoff's had been steadily growing with each passing moment. He knew these mountains and this forest well, and, more importantly, he knew how to _survive_ in them. Though he was still largely unconvinced of the reasons for their journey, he found comfort in the fact that they would at least reach their destination in one piece. What happened after that, well… That remained to be seen.

He leaned forward, digging deep into the small wooden case of food as he continued. "Everything's gonna be – Um, Anna?" Kristoff stood abruptly as he felt a pair of small hands clutching his shoulder in a vice-like grip. "I thought we kinda went over this…" He began awkwardly, his cheeks growing warm. "I'm not really comfortable with – "

"Shhh! Do you hear that?!" Anna's grip on Kristoff tightened as she spoke, and he noticed that she was trembling slightly.

He paused, listening intently. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, he heard it. A soft rustling came from the trees to their left, and was growing steadily louder with each passing second. _Something's coming…_ Kristoff's heart sank. Perhaps he'd spoken too soon. _I knew this was too good to be true._ He thought miserably.

"Get behind me." Kristoff whispered to the girl beside him as the sound of rustling and snapping twigs grew nearer. With his free arm, he reached into the sleigh in front of him, pulling out his pickaxe. It was the closest thing to a weapon he had, and Kristoff silently cursed himself for not thinking of packing something a bit more substantial to defend themselves with.

Kristoff could feel Anna shift her body, now crouching behind him, her grip never leaving his arm. "What is it?" She whispered fearfully.

"Shhh!" Kristoff glanced down at her, annoyed.

_Sorry._ She mouthed silently.

The crackling orange light of the fire cast a gentle glow into the surrounding forest, picking up the faint silhouette of the creature as it approached. A misshapen shadow appeared on the nearby trees, growing steadily larger as the unseen figure drew nearer.

_Snap. Snap. Rustle. Snap._

The soft, rhythmic sound of heavy breathing now joined the chorus of crunching leaves and cracking branches.

_Snap. Snap. Rustle. Snap. Huff. Huff. Snap._

Kristoff's heart began to beat faster and faster as Anna's grip steadily tightened, causing him to lose all feeling in his left arm.

He lifted the pickaxe high above his head, bracing himself to strike. _Come on… Let's get this over with._ Kristoff took a deep breath, fighting back his fear.

For a moment, there was absolute silence, and the forest was perfectly still.

And then, without warning, the bushes flew apart, their pursuer came into view, and Anna's piercing scream cut through the cool night air as Kristoff let the pickaxe fly.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_A/N: I know, I'm awful. :P What a mean place to stop! But I'll have the next chapter up this weekend (maybe sooner? I may have a snowday tomorrow & Friday, we'll see!). Any theories on who/what/etc the person/thing that's attacking them is? I'll be interested to see if anyone can guess it! Free cookies to whoever's closest :P_

_And a random note about Elsa's little "prayer" there. I have zero idea whether the characters in Frozen would be Christian or if they'd still believe in ancient Norse gods, but I decided that since they live in a world with trolls and magic, maybe they'd be clinging to the old Norse religion & mythology, so that's why she prayed to "gods" (plural). I'm pretty sure Disney wouldn't have thought of stuff like this, so I just rolled with it XD_

_Again, sorry if that felt rushed. And, as always, thank you for reading, please continue to fave, follow, and review! You guys are the best. :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Over 150 followers! Thank you guys!_

_Sorry for not posting this as soon as I'd hoped! Yes, I did have two snowdays in a row (both Thursday and Friday) and I DID start writing this on Thursday, then continued on Friday, but I didn't get to finish because, well, I ended up getting myself sucked into yet another fandom and spent the better part of both days binge-watching so I would be caught-up, so I was kind of distracted :P (In case anyone's curious… OMG Sherlock. I'm in love. You should totally watch that show if you don't already. So many Sherlock fanfic possibilities swirling in my head right now… Hahaha but don't worry, no new stories until I'm done with this one!)_

_Okay, so without any further ado, Chapter 9! :)_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Kristoff watched with bated breath as the pickaxe soared through the air, turning over a few times before hitting its mark with a soft crunch. Their pursuer staggered backward a bit as the rough metal object smashed into him, knocking him off balance. Anna's scream of surprise still echoed in the surrounding trees as she peeked cautiously over Kristoff's shoulder to see what had happened.

The shadowy figure in front of them stirred slightly, seemingly unperturbed by the pickaxe's strike. "Um, wow… Okay…" A familiar voice muttered softly in the darkness, seemingly breathless. "I guess… that's one way… to say hello…" The figure continued breathing heavily as it stepped forward, crossing into the flickering firelight at last.

"Olaf?!" Anna cried in disbelief as the tiny snowman finally came into view. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying… to find… you guys…" Olaf huffed breathlessly in reply, clutching his chest with one tiny wooden hand. "I've… been running… for hours…" He lifted his free hand slowly, feeling uncertainly toward the pickaxe embedded in his forehead. "You got me… pretty good…Heh…"

"Oh, jeez… Sorry." Kristoff winced sympathetically as he hurried forward. He had struck the snowman almost perfectly between the eyes, and the rough metal was buried very deeply in his icy forehead. "Why did you sneak up on us like that?" He placed one large hand on the cold snow of Olaf's head while the other gripped the wooden handle of the pickaxe tightly. Kristoff tugged as hard as he could, and the pickaxe came loose instantly, the force of the extraction sending both the human and the snowman staggering backward.

Olaf sat up slowly, patting the snow of his head to make sure everything had fallen back into place. "You call that… sneaking?" He asked, still out of breath. "I was… pretty loud… If you ask me." He tried to take a step forward, but swayed slightly, nearly falling over a second time as his exhaustion began to overtake him.

"Okay, little guy." The princess rushed over to Olaf as she spoke. "Why don't you catch your breath before you do any more explaining?" Anna shook her head, smiling as she helped him to his feet and gently led him toward the fire to sit at her side.

Sven trotted over then, greeting the snowman happily as Kristoff went back to the sled to begin preparing their evening meal at last. It was not long before the snowman and pair of humans had all finally calmed down, Olaf from the stress and exhaustion of his long journey, Anna and Kristoff from the excitement and fear of their potential attack. Looking back, it all seemed rather silly now, and neither Kristoff nor Anna was willing to admit just how frightened they'd actually been.

"So… how did you manage to find us?" Anna asked Olaf some time later, as she slowly rotated her wooden skewer of meat over the fire. "I didn't even think you knew we left in the first place."

"I didn't." Olaf explained. "I stopped by the castle looking for you guys, and Elsa told me everything." He shook his head. "I can't believe you were gonna go on an adventure without me!" The snowman looked from one human to the other as he spoke, clearly offended.

"It's not like we're doing this for fun, Olaf." Kristoff sighed. "This is really dangerous."

"_Exactly!_" Olaf cried, throwing his arms in the air excitedly. "That's why you need me to come with you!"

Anna and Kristoff exchanged a look. "Uh-huh…" Kristoff raised an eyebrow at the snowman skeptically. "And how can you help us, exactly?"

"How can I help? Are you kidding?" The snowman leapt to his feet as he spoke. "Do you want me to make a list?"

It was Anna who shrugged in reply. "Uh… sure?"

"Oh… Really?" Olaf scratched his head nervously. "I didn't actually think you'd say yes…" He muttered, his voice trailing off slowly. There were a few long moments of silence as the snowman furrowed his brow in concentration. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Okay! Um… I can keep Sven from getting bored! He loves me, don't ya, buddy?" He reached over, scratching the reindeer behind the ears as he spoke, much to Sven's delight. "Happy reindeer, happy humans, am I right?" There was no reply from Anna and Kristoff, who continued watching him skeptically.

Olaf gulped nervously "And I… I can entertain you guys!" He offered happily. "Take your mind off the scary stuff, keep a smile on everyone's face… Huh, huh?" The snowman smiled hopefully. "Come on… Walking, talking morale booster, right here!" The pair of humans looked at each other uncertainly yet again, remaining silent.

"Tough crowd…" Olaf muttered to himself. "Well… How about this? What if we get attacked? Things get hairy, looking for a quick getaway, need a distraction? You're looking at him!" He threw his hands above his head for emphasis. "No bones to break… I'm pretty much indestructible! Makes me the perfect bodyguard, too." He nodded enthusiastically. "You'd be crazy not to bring me along!" He finished confidently.

Anna bit her lip, knowing that Kristoff was sharing the same thought she was having. "Olaf, listen…" She began carefully.

Without warning, Olaf threw himself at the girl's feet, clutching her skirt in his wooden hands desperately, his charade now over. "Oh, _please, please, please_!" He begged. "You have to let me stay! I came all this way, you can't make me go back now!"

Kristoff leaned forward, the pity apparent on his face. "Look, Olaf, we get it, but –"

"Things are so _boring_ back at home!" The snowman continued. "This is finally a chance for some _excitement_! The four of us out on an adventure – It'll be just like old times! Oh, _please?_ I won't be any trouble, I promise." Olaf batted his eyelashes up at them, pouting slightly as he did so.

"Aww… Kristoff, look at him." Anna leaned forward, gently reaching out and placing a hand on the snowman's cold cheek. "He _did _come all this way... And it's always nice having a familiar face around… Maybe –"

"What? No way!" Kristoff shook his head in disbelief. "It's too dangerous." He said firmly. "Trust me, we have enough to worry about already without –"

"Listen, no offense, Kristoff," Olaf said calmly as he got to his feet, dusting himself off as he did so. "But I'm not so sure we should be taking advice from the guy with the messed up head."

"Hey! My head is _not_ –"

"That's not what Elsa said."

Anna tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle. _Maybe having Olaf around wouldn't be such a bad idea after all…_

"I know, let's do a vote!" Olaf smiled happily. "Everyone who thinks I should stay, raise your hand." He threw both of his in the air immediately, looking around at the others expectantly.

Sven panted happily as he lifted one of his hoofs off the ground as well. After a moment's hesitation, Anna raised one small white hand slowly, shrugging guiltily at Kristoff as she did so.

A soft groan of frustration escaped the young man's lips. "_Fine._" He grumbled, annoyed. "If you're crazy enough to risk your life like this, be my guest."

"Yay!" Olaf cried in joy, seating himself between Kristoff and Anna with a contented sigh. "This is gonna be great, you'll see!"

Kristoff shook his head. "Yeah, sure…" He muttered, all of his previous confidence now gone. What if it _hadn't _been Olaf in those trees? He kept asking himself. Where would they be right now? How was he supposed to protect _himself_? Let alone Anna, and Sven, and now Olaf too… Kristoff looked up at the starry sky, sighing softly as these thoughts crossed his mind.

_This could be the stupidest thing I've ever done._ He told himself sadly, taking a bite of his food at last, and listening as Olaf began regaling them with the tale of his journey to find them. A story which, much to Kristoff's chagrin, continued well into the night.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Snap. Rustle. Scratch. Scratch. Huff. _

_ Snap. Rustle. Scratch. Scratch. Huff._

"Huh?" Kristoff opened his eyes suddenly, abruptly pulled from his deep sleep by the sound of movement close by. The sky above was still quite dim, though not quite as dark as it had been the night before. _Must be before dawn… _He yawned heavily, closing his eyes once more and pulling his blankets over his face as he did so. Thanks to Olaf's incessant chatter, it had been past midnight when he had finally fallen asleep the night before. _I just need a few more hours…_ Kristoff thought sleepily, feeling himself begin to drift away once more.

_Huff. Huff. Rustle. Scratch. Scratch._

"Ugh…" Kristoff rolled over, pulling the blankets even more tightly over his head. "Olaf, cut it out…" He muttered groggily, still half-asleep.

"Cut what out?" A small voice called sleepily from his right.

_Scratch. Rustle. Rustle. Huff._

Kristoff's eyes snapped open, as he realized that it was not Olaf who had woken him. _Anna?_ He wondered, pulling the blankets from his head and sitting up at last. What he saw made him feel as though his heart had dropped into his stomach, and all the breath seemed to have vanished from his lungs.

An enormous creature covered in coarse brown fur stood on its hind paws beside the sled, its head and front paws digging around in the supplies within. It breathed heavily as it sniffed the contents of the sleigh in search of food, while its large claws scraped gently on the floor as it dug around, examining everything.

Kristoff froze, staring in horror as the huge bear continued its search. _Has it seen us?_ He wondered desperately. Either way, they couldn't just sit there – they had to move. As silently as he could, Kristoff got to his feet, crouching as low to the ground as he could manage, and shuffled toward Sven, never once taking his eyes off the enormous beast.

He nudged the reindeer gently until Sven's eyes opened at last. Kristoff put a finger to his lips, hushing his friend before he could even make a sound, and pointed wordlessly toward the bear, then toward a large boulder about 30 feet away from them. _Go hide._ The man mouthed. Sven did not need telling twice. He scrambled to his feet a bit more noisily than Kristoff would have liked, and the man winced nervously as he studied the bear carefully for a reaction. Thankfully, it did not even pause, and simply continued its search as the reindeer slowly began sneaking away.

By this time, Olaf had finally sat up, already having been woken by Kristoff moments before. "What's going on?" He muttered softly, looking around.

His tiny black eyes widened in horror as they fell on the enormous beast. Kristoff crept toward the snowman carefully, shaking his head at him as he did so. "_Shhhh." _He whispered, as quietly as he could, then gestured with a quick nod of his head toward the retreating reindeer. _Go._ He mouthed. Olaf hesitated uncertainly, glancing toward Anna's still-sleeping form. Kristoff shook his head slowly, then pointed to snowman understood, and, with a small nod of his head, hurried off after Sven.

_Zzzzzzzzz—hnnnngh—zzzzz _

Anna's snoring grew louder as Kristoff drew nearer, glancing over his shoulder at the sled with every step. He approached the sleeping woman carefully. He did not want to startle her – or the still-distracted bear. Anna lay sprawled on top of her blankets, her mouth open and a small trail of drool running down her cheek. Kristoff hesitated for a moment, caught between disgust and amusement, and then remembered the gravity of the situation at hand. Carefully avoiding the moisture on her cheek, he leaned in very close to her, whispering gently in the girls ear and shaking her shoulders lightly. "Anna? Anna, you've gotta wake up."

"Ugggghhhh…" Anna groaned loudly in reply and rolled over, turning away from him as she did so, her arm smacking Kristoff heavily across the face as she pulled the covers over her head.

"Ow…" Kristoff winced, rubbing his chin to try to ease the pain. _Oh, come on, Anna… Don't do this…_ He had to crawl on his elbows to reach her again, shaking her a bit more urgently than the first time. He was so distracted, he failed to notice that the bear had suddenly gone very quiet…

"Anna, come on, get up." Kristoff whispered a bit louder than before, his patience wearing thin. "We have to move… There's a bear."

"There's nothing wrong with my hair." The girl murmured sleepily from beneath her blankets. "It always looks like this in the morning." Anna yawned, pulling the blankets more tightly around her as she did so.

"Not your _hair_… A _bear!"_

"A what?!" Anna sat up suddenly, looking around frantically until her blue eyes finally fell on the huge creature. "It's… It's… Ahhh –!"

Her cry of alarm was cut-off by a large hand cupping roughly over her mouth. "Shhh!" Kristoff looked down at her angrily. "Do you want it to... hear…us…?" _Oh no…_ Kristoff's heart sank at the sight of the immense bear staring at them curiously, the contents of the sled now forgotten. It took a step toward them, cocking its head to the side as it did so, and letting out a low, huffing breath. _So much for trying to stay quiet…_

Beside him, Anna was shaking. Kristoff took a deep breath, steadying himself, and gently rose to his feet, pulling the girl with him as he did so. "Whatever you do," He whispered, his lips at her ear. "Don't act afraid. Don't look away. Just follow me, nice and slow." Kristoff began stepping backward carefully as he spoke, Anna following his lead moments later. Neither one of them took their eyes off the creature, which had now taken another uncertain step in their direction.

The boulder behind which Sven and Olaf now stood felt like it was miles away as the pair continued, moving at an achingly slow pace and never breaking eye contact with the bear as they went. "Are you okay?" Kristoff whispered so quietly, Anna had to struggle to hear him.

"Just peachy." She replied just as softly, her voice quavering slightly, giving her away. The bear had taken another step forward, but was sniffing the ground now, scratching briefly with its claws in the dirt near where Kristoff had slept.

"We're almost there…"

Anna let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as she and Kristoff finally reached the boulder, scurrying behind it and crouching low to the ground beside a very terrified Olaf and Sven.

"What do we do?" The snowman asked nervously, trying to peek around the side of the huge rock.

Kristoff pushed Olaf back gently, shaking his head slowly. "We wait…" He said simply. "And listen." His heart was pounding in his chest as he strained his ears for any sign of movement. Beside him, his friends did the same.

_So much for making it to the mountain in one piece… _Kristoff thought to himself sadly as the minutes dragged by like hours and, high above, the morning sky began to lighten at last.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _

_A/N: Another cliffhanger? I'm awful, I apologize. Hahahahaha._

_Nice job to everyone who correctly guessed that their "attacker" was actually Olaf! As promised, here is a cookie as a reward :P __farm6. staticflickr 5510/ 11373878704_08fb691ac8_z .jpg (Just take away the spaces XD Or, if you're lazy, it's just a cute picture of an Olaf cookie :P)_

_Thank you for reading, you're awesome (yes, you!)._


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